TripleTree Publishing

Submission Guidelines:

• Writers of all ages and talents are eligible to submit.
• Short Stories can be up to 3,000 words.
• Submissions only accepted from October 1-31, 2009.
• All submissions will be RTF file attachments to email.
• Story submissions will be in standard manuscript format. Please find out what that is if you have any question. Any submission not in manuscript format will be deleted outright. Please follow this link for what TripleTree Publishing considers a professional manuscript format.
• Only one story per author can be accepted for submission. When the story is submitted, it is expected to be complete.
• The author will include in the body of the email their publishing credits for the last five years. This is in order to qualify the author for the 25% of the anthology dedicated for "new" writer.
• Email with the RTF story attached should be sent to, DeadOnDemand@TripleTreePub.com

Payment:

• Stories accepted into the anthology will receive $0.05 (5 cents) a word upon publication. This payment rate is for "new" as well as "professional" writers.
  

What is "Dead on Demand"?

Dead on Demand is an anthology of ghost stories. This anthology was once limited to students of Elizabeth Engstrom who attended the Ghost Story Writing Weekend each year in Late Spring. The students were given 24 hours to write a ghost story from blank paper with Elizabeth Engstrom as a 24 hour consult. TripleTree, with Elizabeth Engstrom's consent, is opening this anthology to any writer who feels they can keep the writing staff at TripleTree Publishing from turning off the lights at night.

The story does not have to be scary, but there has to be a ghost as a character.

What is a ghost story?

A ghost story is a story, short story in this case, where one of the characters is a ghost. Sounds simple? It is not. Think about ghost physics. Can a ghost pass through a wall? Then how can it get to the upper floor of a house or building? Can a ghost touch a person? Then how can it pass through walls? Convince us that your world with this ghost is possible.

Who is the editor?

The editing team is John Reed and Richard Ramsey. 

IMPORTANT -- John and Richard have committed 25% of the anthology to "new" writers. Those writers with little or no publishing credits as yet. The rest of the anthology will be filled with those with what John and Richard deem as "professional" writers.

John Reed is a world known author, and teacher. He edited MOTA 2002 for TripleTree and we are very pleased to have him back. He is the author of two novels, Thirteen Mountain and The Kingfisher's Call, as well as numerous shorter non-fiction works. He has conducted writing workshops, classes and seminars around the country for the past 20 years; his sensitive and insightful critiques have inspired hundreds of writers. His classes on the novel, short stories, essays and magazine writing have given many students a stepping stone to publication. John is a presenter at the Maui Writer’s Conference and the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. He can be found at WritersWelcome.com with tips, workshops, and references for writers.

Richard Ramsey is a writer, editor and publisher for TripleTree Publishing. His writing is based in ghost story and fantasy. He has been published in nine magazines and has received two awards for his writing. He was also published in TripleTree's MOTA 4, before he came to join the TrpileTree Publishing team. He can be found at RichardRamsey.us.

What we want:

• We do want the use of all five senses (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste) throughout the story. If there is a protoplasm explosion, We want to feel as if we need to take a shower. If there is a cemetary, we want to see the fog, smell the musty wetness, feel the slick grass sliding between our bare feet, hear the cackles of the ravens on a nearby headstone, and taste the late night dinner of pepperoni pizza and peanut butter trying to force its way back up our throat.
• We do want stories like haunted road kill, haunted beach houses, an evil baby that keeps being born each generation.

What we DON'T want:

• We don't want only sight and sound used throughout the story.
• We don't want a ghost like Casper.
• We don't want a retelling, revision, or an alternate ending of any previously written or told ghost story.
• We don't want language that does not promote the story or character. Yes, the staff at TripleTree will be the judge as to what is acceptable language. If there is any doubt in the author's mind about the use of a word, then please think twice.
• We don't need alot of blood, gore, chopping up people, or zombies. This is a ghost story anthology.
• We don't need any sex scenes. There are ways to lead the reader up to an event, but then not show the event. Check out Elizabeth Engstrom's book, "Black Leather".