The Creative Cranium Substack

Question: For modern creators, is submitting original work to anthologies or other publishers "worth it"?

Last week, a fellow creator asked me if I felt that anthology submissions were worth their time and effort. Three days later I got another DM, this time from a different creator, asking the exact same question.

I admit, before I wrote back, I paused. Wait a minute… why are they asking me? Then it dawned on me- Oh yeah, I have a couple small credits now. A small showing, but a showing.

So thanks for asking my opinion. My answer is a resounding YES. Here’s why.

Much of the growth in my writing career has happened while I was trying to do something else. For me, contributing to anthologies has led to many unlooked-for positive outcomes.

Let me show you what I mean.

Since 2020, I have been fortunate enough to be included, in a small way, in six killer projects.

Want to know how I did it?

First step- Make a list of which reputable publishers (or other creators) that you want to work with. Remember, you are representing your brand; or more accurately, your self. In my case, I made a list of which publishers I wanted to “try out” for, that sort of matched my aesthetic. There were no guarantees that any of my stories would be published, but I submitted anyway.

All of the the six stories were successful in their own way.

As of June 2024, here are my Sinister Six.

1. Cthulhu is Hard to Spell: Battle Royale- WANNABE PRESS

2. Planet Comics- ANTARCTIC PRESS

3. Welcome to MONSTER WORLD- BAD BUG MEDIA

4. Tales from the Collective Initiative- THE COLLECTIVE/ ORANGE CONE

5. Drumsticks of Doom- PART-TIME COMICS

6. ROCKSTARR: Designer- Earth Dog Studios (in the US!)

Now that we have the roster established, let’s look at some of what happened after. Of course I understand correlation is not causation! I am just riffing about discovering positive connections in the universe, man.

So, here are The Good Things That Happened:

1. I submitted our short story, “Error of the Last Acolyte” to Russell Nohelty and his popular Cthulhu is Hard to Spell series. After publishing my story in their third volume, WANNABE PRESS kindly created my first Amazon bio and increased my online profile, notably among the Kickstarter creator community. I met some great authors and editors through the campaign, and even became friends with a couple of them! Additionally, the book is a critical and commercial success, and is now being relaunched into a type of deluxe volume by Laguna Studios. The whole experience really helped me grow.

   Special thanks here to Mr. Russell Nohelty.

   

2. I submitted several short stories to ANTARCTIC PRESS, including “The Hunchback (of Theological Quadrant 19)”, “Natural Life”, and others. Again, national exposure adds a small layer of street credibility for most writers. After being published in several of the PLANET COMICS books, I leveraged my writing credits toward being invited as a “featured guest” at comic conventions. Being a featured guest basically means that you get comped a free table or booth. Our strategy worked. Having credits from national publishers opens doors. If you have actual ComicVine credits or a podcast, your odds of being a guest are even better. I have made some great friends in the AP Collectors groups as well. Really a fun bunch. Antarctic Press offers a wide range of options available to many contributors.

   Special thanks here to Mr. Ben Dunn.

   

3. I was fortunate enough to be on the script development team for this Monster World project. Working with BAD BUG was a memorable experience, and I learned a lot. All the team members are creative, passionate, and interesting people. Here, I got to collaborate at the formative stage of a monster book with Scott Wilke and Mike Tener. Wow! This project was fun for me because the way Bad Bug works really reminds me of being in a band. Talented people all jamming together and knowing their parts perfectly. Scott even did a serious in-depth interview with me, you can check it out here:

   

   CLICK HERE to read Buggin' Out with Timothy Fling!

   Thank you Mike Tener and Scott Wilke. You guys are really a class act.

   

4. I submitted a short story, “Ascendance of the Pteromorph”, to Travis Gibb and his crew. Travis Gibb is a force in the indie community, and he does a great deal when it comes to supporting other creators. His Ringo-nominated anthologies are well-regarded by modern creators and publishers alike. After we were included in his anthology in 2023, the team held an international signing at Baltimore Comic Con! Attending the event: Heather Gibb, Jerome Gagnon, Justin Birch, Matias Zanetti, and even David Starr showed up! This professional crew helped us level up our convention presence.

   Thank you Travis and Orange Cone! Looking forward to our next adventure.

1. What can I say about Jon Westhoff? We met about three years ago during the Lost At Sea campaign, when he commented on the Robot City Blues song. That was the first time I realized Jon was a musician, and I have been stalking him ever since. The good thing that happened here was we became friends, and Jon is super helpful and knows a ton about many subjects. Really, Jon, its an honor to be the editor on your terrific book, I value the opportunity.

   Thank you Jon, my brother in metal.

   

   STARR! My friend David Starr guy is the king of positive thinking and by extension helping others. I am so happy for his success. I saved his book for last, because so many great things have happened. The writing credit, the magazine feature, the screenplay. Of course, since then, Earth Dog Studios has even become the exclusive publisher of his autobiography, and the title is moving to both a digital version and an international version.

   Thank you Starr! I can not wait to see where our path leads.

   

I am incredibly grateful for this experience. So yes, modern writers and artists, I suggest that you submit to anthologies! You never know where your own road might lead. Hope this helps.

What are YOUR thoughts on anthologies?

Timothy B. Fling

Writer and Creator

"Ars longa, vita brevis."

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