2014 Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan

[Renee Stevens]

Please Note:  This thread is to announce the anthology as well as for questions and to provide the links to your stories after submission.  I have started a second thread for authors to discuss the anthology and visit.  This is to ensure that I don't miss any submissions or questions that anyone may have.  Feel free to visit and talk, but please use the discussion thread.

 

 

The theme of the 2014 Summer Anthology is The Backup Plan

 

Feel free to interpret this theme in any way you want. The anthologies are not exclusive, but inclusive, so don't worry if you think your entry has only a tangential link to the theme. If you are inspired, then write a short story, poem or play, and submit it.

 

Please read these submission guidelines carefully.

 

You may address this theme in any style or genre you choose. Be as creative as you want to be with the theme. However, please note that this anthology is an anthology of short stories. By definition, a short story must stand alone and not require reading a prior story. It therefore cannot be a chapter in a serial.

 

Who may participate

 

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. However, submission to GA Stories requires that you be a member here at GA so you can be assigned as the author. If you have author status (which is free and you can get after five posts in the GA forums), you can submit stories.

 

Submission Guidelines

 

Final submission date to GA Stories: June 8th, 2014

Submission to Renee Stevens via PM for final Proof read by the Anthology Proof Team: June 5th, 2014

 

Non-Poetry

• Minimum Word Count: 250
• Maximum Word Count: 20,000

Poetry

• Up to three poems of a minimum of 5 words each
• Posted as a single submission (a collection)
• Each poem can be posted as its own chapter

Submission Procedure *Please read carefully*

 

Once your story is complete and has gone through your beta and editing team, please complete the following steps:

• Contact Renee Stevens via PM.  Include in the PM the following information:  Title, genre, synopsis, word count, and excerpt in the body of the PM.  Attach your story file.  You will be paired with an editor from the Anthology Proof Team who will perform a final proof for the anthology and return the file to you.  *Please Note: The Anthology Proof Team is not meant to take the place of an author’s normal editing team so all entries MUST be edited prior to contacting Renee Stevens.*
• Once you receive your proofed file, complete your edits and submit your story into GA Stories, for help, please visit the FAQ.
  • Make sure the story is unpublished by unchecking BOTH the publish boxes, one for the chapter and one for the story itself
  • Select “Fiction” as the category.  It will be moved to the correct category by the anthology team.
  • Mark your story as COMPLETE.  Only completed stories are allowed in the anthologies
  • Please note that once you submit a story it will NOT show up in your list of stories until the anthology has gone live.
  • Copy the URL for your story and provide Renee Stevens with the URL via the announcement thread so that your submission may be checked to ensure it has been submitted correctly and meets submission guidelines.  This also ensures that it will get moved to the anthology category.

Story Titles

 

Please do not use the anthology theme or your GA Username as a title. Be as original as you can. In case of duplicate titles within the anthology, we will request that titles be changed.

 

Unacceptable entries & Content Warnings

 

Entries that are obviously unedited (containing many errors), are overly graphic, or which are deemed to have unacceptable content will be either declined outright, or changes may be requested as a condition of entry. For information on what is considered to be unacceptable, please see the Story Content Rules FAQ. If you still have questions, ask.

 

Please include a Content Warning in the story notes if your story contains sensitive content. Examples of sensitive content: abuse, especially graphic/extreme abuse or child abuse, in-scene graphic violence, suicide attempts/themes, allowable incest, etc... if you're unsure that your story falls within this type of content please alert Renee Stevens when you send the PM requesting the final edit.

 

Editing

 

All entries must be edited prior to being sent to the Anthology Proof Team.  If you need an editor, please visit the Writing Support Requests forum to request one.  There are editors who prefer to edit only one shots, such as anthologies.  Please make sure to state that your story is for the upcoming anthology.  Also, please make sure to follow the guidelines when requesting an editor.

 

Copyright

 

As with all content in GA Stories, the rights remain with the individual authors. Your story will post with a simple 2014 copyright notice, using your GA user display name. If you have another preference (for example, a different name, or a Creative Commons license, or specific copyright wording you'd like to use), please include that with your submission.

 

However, with this anthology, by submitting your story, you are giving GayAuthors.org first worldwide rights with 14 days exclusivity. What that means is you are giving GayAuthors.org permission to archive your story on its website, distribute it via RSS, kindle, iphone, ipad, eyeball…. And you agree not to publish it anywhere else for 2 weeks.

 

If you later decide to post your story at another site, please mention at the beginning or end of the story that it was first published as part of the 2014 Gay Authors Summer Anthology: The Backup Plan, and include a link back to GA if possible.

 

Contact Information

 

We are now using the 'my media' system. Therefore when you post your story it generates a story in your media area. For you to interlink the forum thread and the story you have to create both. Some people do not want a forum thread. If you want one, create one. If you want the two linked, PM either Renee Stevens or A.J. and they can help you link the two.

 

If you have any questions, please contact Renee Stevens via PM or via the Anthology Blog or Forum.

[Renee Stevens]

Reminder: Authors are now allowed more than one story in the anthology providing each submission meets quality guidelines regarding editing and each submission goes through the proper submission procedure.

[Renee Stevens]

Since adding in the Anthology Proof Team, many members have run into issues attaching their stories to the PM.  Generally I have found that it is because they have reached, or come close to reaching, their attachment limit.  If you are having issues attaching your story to the PM for submission to the Anthology Proof Team, please clear your Attachments by doing the following (you can open a new browser so that you don't lose the PM you have already composed):

 

• In the upper right corner of your GA screen click on the little arrow next to your name
• Click on My Settings
• On the left side of your screen, click the Manage Attachments tab
  (you'll be able to see how much of your attachment allotment you have used as well as all the attachments)
• To the right of each attachment, there will be a little box you can check, check each box
• At the bottom, select Delete Selected
• You should now be able to attach your story to the PM

If for some reason you have to refresh prior to trying to attach your file, then make sure you copy your text before refreshing so that you don't have to redo it all

[Valkyrie]

Here's mine

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/valkyrie71/maxsgarage

[Cole Matthews]

Here's my story:  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/cole-matthews/thebachelorfarmer

 

[Renee Stevens]

Here's mine

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/valkyrie71/maxsgarage

 

Here's my story:  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/cole-matthews/thebachelorfarmer

 

 

Both have been moved to the anthology category!  Thanks for participating Valkyrie and Cole!

[LJH]

Just a reminder folks: three/four (depending on where you are in the world) days to go.  The last day for submissions to Renee and the proofreading team is the 5th.  You know the saying: Don't procrastinate.  Activate. LOL

Edited June 2, 2014 by LJH

[K.C.]

Mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/kc/lastcall

[LJH]

Just a reminder, authors are now allowed more than one story in the anthology.  STick to the guidelines for each story.  If you have more than one story, let's have it folks.

[DynoReads]

Here's mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/dynoreads/iwishicouldbackup

[comicfan]

I am fighting like hell to get this done. Might be right up to the wire. Just saying.

[Aditus]

Here is mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/aditus/zugzwang

[Bill W]

Here is my story.  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/bill-w/consolationparents

[Andy78]

Here's mine  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/andy78/magicintheair

[Renee Stevens]

Mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/kc/lastcall

 

Here's mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/dynoreads/iwishicouldbackup

 

Here is mine: https://www.gayauthors.org/story/aditus/zugzwang

 

Here is my story.  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/bill-w/consolationparents

 

Here's mine  https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/andy78/magicintheair

 

I have moved all of these into the Anthology category.  Thanks everyone!

[comicfan]

And here is mine

 

https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/story/comicfan/anythingformybrother