Tag: Submissions

Healing Words Project

We’re looking for short stories to offer on our website for free to give people some diversion during the global crisis.

Here at Kyanite Publishing, we have always been advocates for the power of storytelling to uplift the spirit, spread new ideas, and encourage new ways of looking at the world. We also believe in the value of escapism for the pure joy of leaving the real world behind, if even for only a little while.

We currently find ourselves in troubling times; in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis. Several of our authors have asked what they can do to help. We feel that through storytelling, we can do our part in providing a little distraction, and maybe a little hope, to people who are going through some tough times right now.

In the interest of this, we’re launching a new column of the Kyanite Press Online, the web-based counterpart to our literary journal. The Healing Words Project will be a home for stories donated by authors and freely available to the public.

What we’re looking for:

Short stories between 1,000 and 5,000 words.
Genres: Any science fiction or fantasy.
Terms: Licensing agreement, no transfer of rights, no exclusivity.
Compensation: Volunteer only, as this is a public service project and the content will be provided to the public for free.
Deadline: Open-ended. An announcement will be made at least 10 business days prior to the project being cut off.

Note: We’d like to avoid any apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, or heavy dystopian fiction for this project. We’re going to favor the lighter side of things this time around.
 

How to submit: Send an email to [email protected] with “Healing Words” in the subject line, along with your story in .doc or .docx format and a short pitch letting us know what it’s about.

What to expect: Honestly, we’re launching this on the fly and playing it by ear. We will confirm any submissions within 3 business days, and hope to make decisions on acceptance and send contracts within 10 business days of receipt. After that, it might take a week or two for editing, and you’ll have a chance to review any edits before the story is posted. Keep in mind these are all estimates.

The Fine Print: All submissions will be considered private and confidential until a licensing agreement is signed. Kyanite Publishing, LLC, and its representatives, reserve the right to accept or decline any submissions for any reason, objective or subjective. A licensing agreement will be offered and must be digitally signed before any content is posted. Copyright of all works submitted for the Healing Words Project and/or The Kyanite Press Online remains the property of the work’s author. For more information, contact B.K. Bass at [email protected].

Expanding Our Horizons

Since our founding in July 2018, our focus has been on finding and sharing stories we love. Both of us founders rated speculative fiction as a favorite genre, so we began by publishing exactly that. In the last year and a half, we’ve grown exponentially, immersed ourselves in the industry, and developed a loyal readership. We’re excited to announce that as part of our strategic planning, we’ll now be expanding beyond the scope of speculative fiction to other genres we are equally passionate about.

Kyanite Publishing will now actively seek out stories in the mystery, thriller, and historical fiction genres.

We will also be pursuing non-fiction titles in the near future.

Sam Hendricks

Sam Hendricks,
Publisher

I’m thrilled about this expansion and I look forward to seeing our catalog–essentially, our identity–grow and change as we do. I’ve always had an eclectic taste in books, and some of my first favorites were thrillers. I love stories that can keep me awake at night, speed reading just to get to the end, and there’s a robust market for thrillers that can bend genres and offer fresh takes on the old tropes. Mysteries were also some of the first books to line my shelves. I love every kind of mystery, especially noir and police procedurals. Last but not least, I’m enamored with non-fiction. I’m always game for educational texts in subjects I’m interested in (like geology, history, mythology, and anthropology) and biographies. I think there’s a good chance we’ll focus on just a few sub-genres of non-fiction that best fit our wheelhouse and readership–but more on that later.

B.K. BASS

B.K. Bass,
Editor-in-Chief

As a life-long student of history, one of my favorite genres has been historical fiction; be it in the form of the printed word or on film. To me, there’s nothing quite as exciting as taking a step back in time and—for a moment—experiencing what life was like in another era. Also, as one who is constantly striving to learn more about not only history, but all aspects of our universe, non-fiction books have been the lifeblood of my continuing education. While I love reading for entertainment, I feel there’s nothing more rewarding than reading for education. That’s why we’ve already been publishing a variety of non-fiction articles via the Kyanite Press Online. We strongly value the importance of education and sharing knowledge with the world, so we feel it is an important step that we grow our catalog to include more novel-length non-fiction as well.

Our readership knows we’ve already published quite a few mysteries and thrillers that just so happened to be speculative in nature. From B.K.’s own Night Shift to Jonathan Lazar’s Zachariah Lars and the High Elf Mystery, we’ve been entertained and intrigued. Now, we’re opening the door for more of these gripping stories whether they have a speculative element or not.

“I’m an author. When can I submit my work in these genres?”

We will have an open window in March of 2020, specifically seeking out works in the mystery, thriller, and historical fiction genres. We will not be accepting non-fiction submissions yet, but keep an eye out for more news on that front soon.

We appreciate you reading this announcement and sharing it with anyone you think would benefit from the information. We’ll be revealing more details soon, including a “manuscript wish list” with specific sub-genres we’re most likely to love.

Sincerely,

Sam & B.K.