Dear [SubmitterFirstName],
Thank you for sending us "[SubmissionTitle]" for [Category]. We really enjoyed it and would like to publish it in the next open issue of [OrganizationName] online at [OrganizationWebSite] and in one issue of the monthly eBook anthology.
••• YOUR TO-DO LIST •••
You're going to receive our writer's agreement for you to sign and return. After reading and understanding the rights being sold or licensed, all you have to do is:
1: type your name and date at the bottom
2: with a 3rd person bio in the body of the email
3: provide us instructions on how to pay you with Paypal USD
4: Accept the Submittable 'Agreement to Terms'
...then return the first three via email. To learn more about the definitions of the publication rights you are granting, please read writer's advocacy resources (such as
http://www.pw.org/content/copyright ).
••• WHERE CAN I FIND MY STORY? •••
Once published, your story will appear on a unique URL found on the Stories page located at
http://www.bdlit.com/stories.html under the publication month to be read online or through an eReader, as part of an eBook anthology. After six months the link will be moved to the archives where it will remain permanently. Note that the URL for the story will not changed during the archive process. You will be eligible for selection for the twice-annual print Anthology issue. The next release for that is Fall, 2014.
••• WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE MAGAZINE? •••
You'll note that you can sell your reprint rights right away, since we're not asking for exclusivity at this stage of the development of our press. In the meantime we're working very hard to build readership. We're aiming to become an SFWA Affiliate Member and a Qualifying Professional Market by the end of 2015. Once we achieve that goal we will ask newly accepted stories for one year exclusivity. As for our progress on the qualification to apply for Qualifying Professional Market,
- we have about 60% the needed readership; and
- we are 40% into the regular continuous schedule needed; and
- we have budget to for for 40,000 words a year at pro rate.
Note that at this time we are choosing to provide only a semi-pro rate so that can extend our author payments to 200,000 words a year.
••• HOW CAN I HELP THE MAGAZINE? •••
- update your web presence so we can promote you - Goodreads, Author Central, etc.
- donate time (become a first reader)
- get readership (send friends)
- provide reviews of the eBook anthology in your favorite online bookstore.
Thank you for your submission. I look forward to reading more of your work in the future.
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
[StaffFirstName] [StaffLastName]
Editor, [OrganizationName]
[OrganizationWebSite]
________________________________________
Author Agreement
••• INTRODUCTION •••
Congratulations! Your work, "[Title]" has been accepted! Your work will not be published anywhere until you have signed and returned this agreement. By signing this agreement, you agree to allow us to publish your story in the online literary publication, [OrganizationName] in the manner detailed below. Briefly described, your work will be published on the website permantently; and in one issue of the eBook anthology only, as files formatted to load on any eReader device. These files are made available for direct side-load from the website, or download through all major eBook storefronts for all eReaders. We would request separately (at a later time) any rights to reprint your story in any print edition.
*********************************************
You are granting First Publication Rights.
You are granting Electronic Rights.
You will retain all other rights, including exclusivity.
*********************************************
••• FIRST PUBLICATION RIGHTS •••
You are verifying that this particular work has NOT BEFORE BEEN PUBLISHED and that you are the SOLE AUTHOR of the work. You will receive pay for your work, EITHER a minimum flat fee of USD $5.00 per story OR USD $0.01 per word--whichever is greater. Your work will appear on our website and in one eBook anthology having a unique ISBN, which can be used as a future publishing credit.
••• ELECTRONIC RIGHTS •••
We will maintain online access indefinitely to your story, at no charge to the reader (under Online ISSN #2333-9977 with a URL to be determined, unique to that story). We'll publish an eBook anthology for each month's online stories. One eBook issue will contain your story (under Print ISSN #2333-9969 and an ISBN to be determined, unique to that eBook). The eBook format will be EPUB, MOBI and PDF. No copy of any of the eBooks will have DRM enabled. The eBook will contain statement of rights given to publish, plus rights retained by you.
••• PRICING •••
The online reading access will remain free ALWAYS. The eBook will have availability as follows:
- eBooks are provided as a free side-load ALWAYS, direct from
http://bdlit.com; and
- IF newer than 45 days, eBooks are provided in worldwide electronic bookstore venues:
-- free of charge, or else at the venue's minimum charge; and
- IF 45 days or older, eBooks are provided in worldwide electronic bookstore venues:
-- sold at USD $3.49, or else at the venue's minimum charge.
NOTE: 99% of readership leverages the above pricing model to avoid any reading expense, since we provide at least one path to a free copy at all times.
••• FIRST PUBLICATION ATTRIBUTION •••
You will ensure clear and appropriate attribution to the original publication when you reprint elsewhere.
••• HARD COPY PUBLICATION •••
Your work will not appear in any hard-copy print publication from [OrganizationName]. Instead, you will be notified separately if your work is selected for one of the twice-annual print anthologies (under Print ISSN #2333-9969 plus an ISBN to be determined, unique to that volume), and you will have the right to refuse at that time.
••• EDITING •••
You are also agreeing to allow the editors of [OrganizationName] to make minor changes to your work that do not alter the content of the work. These changes may include grammatical changes, spelling changes, and format changes.
••• TERMINATION •••
If at any time you would like to remove your work from our website, please contact us at
contact@bdlit.com. We will take down your work immediately upon request. Note that if your work has appeared in either the print or eBook anthologies, we will be unable to remove it.
••• NOTES •••
Thank you again for your submission. We hope to see your work again in the future. Please sign below and send this contract to the email address above. Please keep a copy of this contract for your records. We would ask your assistance (before you sign) in highlighting any changes made to the agreement.
••• YOUR STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT •••
I, [SubmitterFirstName] [SubmitterLastName], agree to all of the above terms and give [OrganizationName] the right to publish my work on its website. I also verify that I am the sole author of the piece mentioned above, and as such have the freedom to submit it for publishing.
____________
Name
____________
Date
From The May, 2014 issue, Ken Poyner's story, "Snake Oil Rights," has a salesman who sizes up a synthetic human--a female form, his own design:
His characterizations are perfect raw material for classic actors of the sixties and seventies who played some great sonsabitches who didn't give a shit whether they got the girl or just who their ex-wife was tumbling now.
