Monday, September 24, 2018

Statement on SEASONS OF WAR and the publication of GALLIFREY

Altrix Books is saddened to learn that the official Seasons of War page will be closing down soon. This is due to, according to new project manager Martin Meades, "a copyright and intellectual property request." They will be handling refunds and distribution of their own undistributed projects.

Seasons of War: Gallifrey, is different. Though commissioned by Declan May (the originator of Seasons of War), Gallifrey was published under the banner of Altrix Books, and at this time we have received no indication (from Seasons of War or anywhere else) that we must cease distribution of the book any earlier than we had planned to. Should we get this alert, of course, we will honor it. However, at present, we are keeping orders open until we have sold the last of our print run.

At the time of this writing, we have raised £1,000 for Caudwell Children with your generous help. We look forward to increasing that number before the final donation is sent off. To that end, you may still purchase copies from our website while supplies last.

It is also worth noting at this point that neither Paul Driscoll nor Kara Dennison works in any official capacity with the Seasons of War brand beyond the writing and publishing of Gallifrey, nor do they have information or access that will enable them in any way to help with claims, refunds, or distribution of materials. Any information to the contrary, no matter where it may be printed, is erroneous.

If you would like to continue to follow our activity on social media after the closing of the Seasons of War page, you can find us on Facebook as Altrix Books and on Twitter @altrixbooks.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to presenting our next books in the coming months.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

On pitching.


Once again, we'd like to thank everyone who pitched a story to Unearthed! There were so many amazing ideas sent our way, and while we had to turn away some to keep the book from being a brick, every concept was a joy to read.

In the future, we will be accepting more pitches — both for anthologies and for stand-alone books. We look forward to hearing new ideas from more of you in future. In the meantime, we thought we'd talk a little bit about what makes a good pitch to us.

Paul and Kara are both writers, and Kara is an editor by day, so we've been on both sides of the process. We also know that every editor is different, so what we say may not apply to another publisher. But if you're looking to warm up to one of our next calls, a few things to bear in mind:

Include the ending of the story in your pitch.

There's nothing like a good cliffhanger, and we're always told to "leave them wanting more." And in some cases, that's a good thing to do. But when pitching stories to us, please including the ending. This is for a few reasons.

1. We need to know you know it. We're both writers, and we know how it is to get a good idea and not quite have the ending stuck yet. So we want to know, if you're offering us an idea, you know where you're going to go with it.

2. The ending is essential to knowing if we want the story. We love twists-in-the-tale and surprise endings, but we need to know what we're in for. The upshot of your story may help us decide it doesn't fit into what we're doing; conversely, it may be what gets you accepted. (There are at least two cases in Unearthed of the story's ending being the prime reason it was picked.)

3. We don't want no funny business. We don't want to end up getting to the end of a finished product and discovering that it contains content or sentiments we cannot or do not want to publish.


Follow the directions.

We're not putting up an overall "How to pitch" page yet because we have a few things we're still working out, and because it will likely vary from project to project (and depending on whether Kara, Paul, or both are at the forefront of it). So we'll convene on an overall Altrix Pitching System.

But for the short term, just know that the more closely you follow the directions laid out, the more likely you are to get accepted. Sticking to what we've laid out shows us that you're easy to work with, and is reassurance that if we have to send out emails with new info on a deadline, you'll be able to cope with it.


Make sure you enjoy what you're pitching.

This may seem like an odd request, but seriously. Make sure what you're sending us is something that interests you, and something you'd want to do if we said "yes." It's very easy to tell when someone is sending us an idea they're enthusiastic about as opposed to something they're rolling out just to get another pitch in. Again, we know. We're writers, and we've done both.

If the call we've got open at the moment doesn't interest you, don't worry. We have plenty of plans for the future. It's okay to wait on something that grabs your attention.


At the moment, we aren't accepting submissions for anything, as we're working away on two charity anthologies and gearing up for a series. But in the near future, keep your eyes open for more opportunities!

Monday, September 10, 2018

Thanks to our reviews and shout-outs!




It's been a busy first book launch for us! We're pleased to see so many people reading, leaving reviews, and spreading the word about Seasons of War: Gallifrey.

We're also grateful for the feedback from our readers, as it's helping us to create our "show bible" for The Chronosmith Chronicles. Knowing what you liked and what resonated with you is helping us to bring Mordicai, Savalia, Kendo, and Tor Fasa into the next stage of their adventures.

If you'd like to help spread the word (and we'd love to have you help) and aren't sure what to do, here's a few ways you can help us as we finish out our print run of this book:

Follow us on social media!

You can find us on Facebook and on Twitter. Both Paul and Kara keep an eye on these accounts, so it's a good way to get in touch with us. Plus, we keep it very active, with news not only on our own work, but also on our projects elsewhere and publications by friends of our co-founders. So you should be able to find several things of interest there.

You might also want to follow Kara on Facebook and on Twitter, or Paul on Twitter as well. Those are our personal accounts, though, so only the respective person will see what's on there. Still, we're both up to a lot outside Altrix, so you might like what you see!


Give our designer some love!

Ginger Hoesly is an amazing artist and designer who will be working with us again in future. If you'd like to support more of her work, check out her Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr. She also has a shop on Tictail where you can pick up artbooks, prints, and more — especially interesting if you're a Doctor Who fan!

Incidentally, Ginger and Kara work together on the light novel series Owl's Flower, so check that out for more reading material and more ways to support us. And Ginger will have a zine of interest coming soon, so keep an eye out!


Review us on GoodReads!

It's a fact of life (at least for writers) that reader reviews mean a lot. So if you're on GoodReads, please drop us a review!


Spread the Word!

When you do, be sure to mention that proceeds from this book go to Caudwell Children. It's a good cause we're happy to support.


And of course, don't forget to get your copy while there's still time!

Monday, September 3, 2018

UNEARTHED: Meet Our Authors!



From archaeologists to grave robbers, from legendary criminals to explorers, everyone wants to know: What's in the Box? And thanks to our intrepid authors and artists, we can finally find out.

Unearthed will be an anthology celebrating the magic, horror, and mystery that comes with human curiosity. Our creators are a mix of familiar faces, new talent, and experienced writers from multiple circles.

Authors confirmed for Unearthed:

James Bojaciuk
Keith DeCandido
Kara Dennison
Paul Driscoll
Richard Gurl
I. E. Kneverday
James K. Maddox
Michael O'Brien
John Peel
Meredith Peruzzi
Graham Tedesco-Blair
Sharyna Tran

With cover design by Ginger Hoesly and interior art by Sophie Iles and Monica Marier


The stories will cover a broad spectrum spanning genres. You'll cross paths with everyone from gentleman thief A.J. Raffles to the god of curiosity. Historical pieces muse on the Fort River Dam and the poetry of Longfellow. Explorations take us through dimensional portals and into outer space, and reexamine the fates of the King of Kings and the King of Knights. Resurrectionists make a "grave" mistake, an ancient game turns into a deadly meme, and competitive cooking goes off the rails with today's very special ingredient.

All proceeds for Unearthed will go to ARCE, the American Research Center in Egypt, which is devoted to preserving ancient Egyptian culture and supporting scholars and archaeologists.

Unearthed goes on sale in early 2019, with preorders set to open at a later date. Thank you for all your support — we look forward to opening the doors of Altrix Books' first anthology!