About this project
‘Where we’re going, we don’t need eyes...’
Are you ready for a journey into the dark?
Here’s what we can achieve with †3Dark’s kickstarter:
- Become part of a unique community including 14 awe-inspiring creatives
- Receive a monthly short story & unique concept art
- Access a special community of other like-minded readers & creatives via the kickstarter page & Twitter: get to talk to the writers themselves!
- Make the future of literary genre-fiction happen with your support
- Tired of the same “The Girl on the...” or “The King of the...” books that conform to formulas? Help change the publishing world by being a part of an independent movement.
- Get recognition for your contribution forever with †3Dark! Get your name in print in the first issue of †3Dark with a sincere thanks from the editor, writers and artists
- Discover the next big writers before the big publishers do. Imagine in 10 years time you can say you predicted the next Stephen King and helped get them to where they needed to be
- Get writing coaching & editing from a real expert who can help you reach the next level
- Hone your skills with top-tier editorial classes and coaching from a writing professional.
- Get your story in shape for submission to publishers and/or agents, or, take the ever-popular path of self-publishing.
Lose yourself in a unique, epic world that will be created over 13 months.
†3Dark is a unique project that will showcase both the written and visual artwork of some of this century’s greatest creatives including Richard Thomas, Moira Katson, Eden Royce, Veronica Magenta Nero, Christa Wojciechowski as well as newer voices such as Matthew Blackwell, Andy Cashmore, Samuel Parr, Tomek Dzido, Anthony Self, Ross Jeffery, Jamie Parry-Bruce and Tice Cin. All of their work will explore the sacred and profane, the holy and damned, the beatific and the demonic. If you want an idea of what kinds of stories will be on offer, think of the kind of subtle supernaturalism and religiosity of something like True Detective, or Craig Clevenger’s story ‘Act of Contrition’ from The New Black.
The aim is to release 13 unique never-before-seen short stories, monthly, in digital and paperback form, accompanied by custom artwork from Shawn Langley, and with cover artwork by grandfailure. These editions will be beautifully produced, melding the visual and written elements, offering unique insight into our world. Each story will be edited and have a foreword written by me. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of something colossal.
I hope you’ll join us on this dark descent into the heart of the divine.
And dark.
THE EDITOR - Joseph Sale
Joseph Sale is a novelist, writing coach, editor, graphic designer, artist, critic and gamer. His first novel, The Darkest Touch, was published by Dark Hall Press in 2014. Since, he has authored Seven Dark Stars, Across the Bitter Sea, Orifice, The Meaning of the Dark, Nekyia and more. He is an Associate Editor at Storgy Magazine where he writes features, reviews film, TV and books, and contributes fiction. He also writes for GameSpew. His short fiction has appeared in Silver Blade, Fiction Vortex, Nonbinary Review, Edgar Allan Poet and Storgy Magazine. In 2014 he was nominated for the Sundress Award for Literary Excellence.
In his spare time he plays badminton, watches Two Best Friends Play and puts on his DM hat, concocting fiendish dungeons for his friends to battle through.
As a writing coach, Joseph Sale knows that everyone has a story burning inside them. It’s his job to nurture that flame, and when the time is right, let it shine. He has coached numerous writers from nobody/nothing humble beginnings who have gone on to receive professional publication credits after working with him through one-to-one sessions. These names include Jamie Parry Bruce, Kimberly Redway, Matt Blackwell, Guy Bishop and Tice Cin. His story-writing technique derives from the classical 5 Act model, but adapted for the modern age with influences from Henry James and other American writers.
Coaching sessions with him include: proofing, ideas generation, style, formatting preparation, market research (where to submit and how), story-arc analysis, plotting, characterisation evolving from dramatic technique, and much, much more.
COACHING TESTIMONIALS
'Joseph Sale assisted me with the development of my writing and offered a critique that has provided a foundation for future works. He is professional and as a reader of his writing can honestly say he writes with passion and extraordinary vision. His stories pull you into their well-constructed world and invite you to watch the beautifully composed tale unfold. I just know that his next endeavour will be successful.' --Kimberly Redway http://kimberlyredway.com/
‘Joseph was instrumental in making me realise what it was I'd spent my life wanting to do. With his help and incredible support I managed to complete several short stories and a novella and am now in the process of setting them loose into the world. It's not only Joseph's unstinting work that's inspiring: his ethics and his approach are second to none and I've never met another author who is willing to give so much of their time and effort to help other people live their dreams. Thank you, Joseph, for this opportunity and for my dreams.’ --Jamie Parry-Bruce
‘When I first met Joe it was immediately apparent to me not only how knowledgeable he was, but also how unreservedly open and enthusiastic. His passion and work ethic are infectious, and his remarkable productivity and thirst for knowledge have been hugely inspirational to me as an aspiring writer. If I have an idea I need to talk over, or a problem I can’t solve, Joe is the first guy on my list to go to for help. I can honestly say I would not be the writer I am today without Joe’s invaluable guidance and support.’ --Matthew Blackwell
‘Joseph is the sort of person who knows how to take your work to the next level. He has helped me to explore who I am as a writer by encouraging me to enhance the parts of my work that are ME and filter out the background noise that befuddles so many writers who are trying to make their work stand out. He gives pointers and direct examples of how I can improve a piece and even when I wasn't the winning entry for his Blackness Absolute competition, he still gave me his time by suggesting small changes that brought my work up to the right standard. I've always felt comfortable sharing work with him and respect his insight as an utter professional who oozes a command, not only over dark fiction but over the craft of writing in general. If I directly compare my short stories that I've written without his edits to the newer ones, there's a clear theme of me trying to say something and not knowing how- which he quickly helped me unravel. I know myself better as a writer since first receiving writing support from Joe and feel like a very fortunate lady indeed!’ --Tice Cin
THE ARTIST - Shawn Langley
facebook.com/shawnlangleyart
patreon.com/shawnlangley
about.me/langleyeffect
I've been drawing comics for years, but what I've loved drawing the most is the bizarre. I I've always loved drawing the things that came from my own imagination, and those things always seemed to lean towards the horror genre. I love monsters, aliens...things with claws...things that creep you out, or give you nightmares.
THE WRITERS
†3Dark will include fiction both established and new voices. We're incredibly excited to be working with:
Richard Thomas, Tomek Dzido, Tice Cin, Samuel Parr, Andy Cashmore, Veronica Magenta Nero, Moira Katson, Christa Wojo, Eden Royce, Jamie Parry-Bruce, Matthew Blackwell, Ross Jeffery & Tony Self
WHAT’S ON OFFER
In addition to 13 beautiful editions of short fiction, †3Dark will provide opportunities to receive one-to-one writing coaching from Joseph Sale, limited edition signed copies of Dark Prophets Press titles, specially discounted subscriptions to Gamut Magazine, the prestigious neo-noir magazine created by Richard Thomas of Dark House Press, and much, much more!
- Dark Prophets Press titles will be available via the kickstarter at discounted rates and in special book bundles. There will be signed copies available, limited editions and exclusive pre-orders of upcoming novels not yet released. Get your hands on some quality horror & dark fantasy writing and support independent writers and publishers.
- Gamut Magazine are offering 1 year subscriptions as part of the kickstarter. These will be available in two ways: at an incredible discount via the reward 'The Gamut': a $120 dollar 1 year subscription available for just £40 (plus 13Dark goodies too). And via a joint bundle 'The Consummation' for £220.00, including the 1 year Gamut subscription, all 13 stories from †3 Dark in paperback and a pre-order of the soon-to-be-published novel Nekyia, by Dark Prophets Press – a truly epic year of content to inspire you through 2017 and beyond.
- We will also be collaborating with Storgy Magazine for a unique reward bundle including tote bags, bookmarks and digital downloads of their anthologies.
- Receive expert one-to-one mentoring services. Want to discover your inner writer and start a story or novel? Already got a manuscript and want to fine tune it? Want to strip away those needless words and get to the throbbing heart of your story? We can help you.
DARK PROPHETS PRESS
Dark Prophets Press is looking to publish quality dark fiction that at once terrifies and enlightens. The writing we like reflects the human condition, and what’s more, offers a tentative solution to its shortfalls, even if that solution can never be attainable; hence our interest in ‘prophets’. Darkness, madness, horror and sin – themes at once clichéd and timeless are what we want to see explored and re-conceptualised. Most importantly, we want to read books that have a burning, burning message at their heart – the voice of a god speaking through the flames that is quiet and yet powerful. If this sounds too poetic to your ears, then this press is not for you.
There is also a chance to get your hands on a pre-release copy of Nekyia, an upcoming novel by Joseph Sale, as part of a discounted bundle in limited volumes, so if you want to get your hands on it, act fast!
Nekyia is the collected Four Horsemen & The Fifth Horseman in one volume, a unique 720 page, 170,000 word reading experience of epic proportions from author Joseph Sale; in the vein of Stephen King’s The Stand or Joe Hill’s NOS4R2 both in scope and pathos.
All must perish; all must rise.
Across time, across worlds, the dark prophets are surfacing. And above the rabble of maniacs and heretics are four supreme lords. A weaver of illusions. A life-drinking mastermind. A psychotic scientist breaking with reality. And, highest of all, The Prince with his hypnogogic eye. Where the horsemen go, hunger, death, terror and sickness follow. As their dark plots unfold, their paths will converge, centering on a city only spoken of in dreams.
There are also those who resist the end times. A wolf-woman. A desert seer. A cripple. A fortune-teller. And the Last Knight. From the slums and shadows come these defenders of the old ways of life, but how can they face the dark when it is unified and they are disparate, lost, broken? Lines will blur in the darkening city. Secrets kept beneath its black stone will unspell the rule of tyrants and reveal the hidden fate of all wayward souls. Light will meet dark. Dark will meet deeper dark.
And all will perish; all will rise.
OUR PARTNERS:
We’re very excited to collaborate with Gamut Magazine, already one of the most prestigious magazines for speculative genre-writing, making waves in that world since it was kickstarted in 2016.
From Richard Thomas, the creator of Gamut:
Gamut is an online magazine of neo-noir, speculative fiction with a literary bent. I want to support the voices that aren't getting enough recognition, and pay a great rate (at ten cents a word we are twice the going professional rate). I want to surround myself with talented authors and artists that inspire me. We need more markets like this, publishing edgy fiction that straddles the line between genre and literary fiction, and based on the four anthologies I've edited, the books I've published at Dark House Press, and my own writing—I feel like we're in a golden age of dark fiction, and there is a demand for it.
Gamut will feature fiction from:
Stephen Graham Jones, Laird Barron, Brian Evenson, Usman T. Malik, Matt Bell, Damien Angelica Walters, Letitia Trent, Mercedes M. Yardley, Alyssa Wong, Benjamin Percy, Lindsay Hunter, Axel Taiari, Amanda Gowin, Laura Benedict, Nathan Ballingrud, Dino Parenti, Ted E. Grau, Rebecca Jones-Howe, Sarah Read, Paula Bomer, Kelly Luce, Livia Llewelyn, Josh Malerman, Carmen Machado, Peter Tieryas, Kevin Catalano, Paul Tremblay, John Langan, Nina McConigley, Nik Korpon, Craig Wallwork, Steve Himmer, Antonia Crane, Steve Rasnic Tem, Kristi DeMeester, Tara Ison, David James Keaton, Cassandra Khaw, Nikki Guerlain, Lucy A. Snyder, JS Breukelaar, Helen Marshall, Amelia Gray, H. L. Nelson, Craig Davidson, Jacklyn Dre Marceau, and Lincoln Michel.
We’re also proud to be partnering with STORGY magazine.
STORGY was founded in 2013 by Tomek Dzido and Anthony Self as a means by which to explore the short story form and engage with readers and artists alike. An online literary short story magazine consisting of a core group of dedicated writers, STORGY aims to inspire artistic collaboration and provide opportunities for creative minds to meet. STORGY seeks to publish and promote exceptional literary fiction whilst providing authors with the opportunity to reach a wider literary audience. We take pride in discovering new and emerging talent, whilst also celebrating the work of established writers. If you have a passion for short fiction and an urge to weld with ink, read on to discover more about STORGY and our mission.
At STORGY we search for short stories which challenge literary conventions and experiment with genre, style, form and content. We are looking for innovative fiction which examines the human condition and explores the struggle of survival. We want writing which forces the reader to face the reality in which we live, or the illusions in which we hide. We want soul, be it broken or bruised, or endless and almighty. Tell us, teach us, transform us. We are also extremely keen to collaborate with other artists. Whether you are a painter, illustrator, photographer, or thinker, we seek creative folk with whom to explore new ways of creating short fiction. If you would like to submit artwork or discuss collaborating with us, drop us a line and introduce yourself. Our mission is to mingle. Welcome.
Dark House Press are offering an exclusive 8 book bundle as part of the kickstarter, with two books signed by Richard Thomas! The retail price of this is normally $122 but we're offering it for £65 - and in addition you'll receive 13 issues of 13Dark in digital format!
ABOUT THE PROJECT FUNDING
At †3Dark we believe people should be paid fairly for artistic work. Producing quality content is difficult, time-consuming and often emotionally challenging.
Therefore, at †3Dark, we are going to be paying a pro-rate of £500.00 for each story we acquire. We will also be paying our artist, Shawn Langley, £200.00 for each custom piece he produces for a total of £2,600 over the 13 month period.
There will be significant production costs to produce the quality paperback and hardback materials; we will be printing on cream book-store quality paper with perfect binding and 3-piece graphic design to make the cover a complete piece (back, spine, front). There will also be significant delivery and distribution costs, especially if we develop a strong international presence (which we would sure like to). Hence why I have allocated £800.00 per month to production costs. This will absolutely be needed, especially if we end up sending out thousands of packages in the first few months.
Lastly, the editor’s fee. This is for my work over the 13 months. I have quit my day-job to fully commit to this project and intend to devote all my time and resources working on †3Dark. This £10,000 one-off fee is the bare minimum I need to live so that I can do more of the things I love and provide more opportunities for upcoming writers.
Stories £500.00 x 13 = £6,500.00
Concept Artwork £200.00 x 13 = £2,600.00
Cover Artwork £15.00 x 13 = £195.00
Editing / my fee = £10,000.00
Project Costs (shipping, printing, etc)
£5 to print each †3Dark issue + ship. Expected to be approx. 100 print subscriptions (rest will be digital) = £500.00
£5-7 to print and ship additional book bundles, novels and T-shirts. Therefore an additional allowance of £300.00 per month for that based on 780 book bundles/extras. We're aiming for 800+ subscribers so we think 780 is about right for how many backers will have extras.
£800.00 x 13 = £10,400.00
SUB TOTAL: £6,500.00 + £2,600.00 + £195.00 + £10,000.00 + £10,400.00 = £29,695.00
+ Kickstarter 5% fee = £31,179.75
TOTAL GOAL = £32,000.00
IMPORTANT NOTE: Any additional funding that is not used (for example: if we have over-budgeted for print costs) will be set aside and invested in future projects. †3Dark is only the beginning of a new movement. In future, we hope to launch:
- An open submissions anthology
- A novella collection of stories written by writers working in a universe created by another writer (also open subs)
- Novels
And all of the above will require funding.
£36,000.00 The Complete 13Dark – an anthology will be created of all 13 stories and 13 artworks, featuring unique cover artwork, a foreword by the editor Joseph Sale and the complete backer-list in a Thank You section. This will be released in eBook and paperback. The writers will be paid a re-print rate of £0.02 per word for their stories. Any backer who donated £40 or more will receive the paperback of this delivered direct to their door. Backers under £40.00 can add +£5.00 to their back and send confirmation of that to me in order to get a copy sent to them.
£40,000.00 The Secret Lore – Joseph Sale will write a unique 14th short story (minimum word count 3,000) which will have its own separate edition/issue and be included in the anthology The Complete 13Dark. Shawn Langley will also create a unique artwork for Joseph’s story (and be paid an additional £200.00). All backers will receive the digital edition of the individual story & all backers who donated £40 or more will receive the anthology in paperback. Backers under £40.00 can add +£5.00 to their back and send confirmation of that to me in order to get a copy sent to them.
£44,000.00 The Salvation – A poem will be added to each issue of 13Dark, custom-written based off of Shawn’s artwork and the story. The poet will be paid £1,000.00 for 14 poems.
Risks and challenges
There are very few challenges we face in this project given that many of the systems are already in place. For example, we already have a printer (Lulu.com), our artists and the writers are all on board already, and we have already produced Issue 1 of †3Dark, ready to be distributed in May!
The only real challenge is ensuring people receive their stories in a timely fashion, and that if we have large orders of 800 or more, that we process them quickly to allow enough time to print the stories and get them sent out.
We will deliver each story at the end of the month, starting in May (it should arrive within the last week - we cannot give exact days due to varying printing time).
The problem of delayed deliveries is resolved in two ways: (1) by the fact that I have quit my job and am working full time on this project. I worked for 2 years in intense customer service in the corporate world, and will treat the customer service aspects of this project as a top priority and with the same professionalism as I did that corporate role. (2) Everyone will receive digital editions alongside the print, so even if the print edition is slightly delayed, everyone will receive their stories on time.
If the worst comes to the worst, we can simply push back the project 1 month, so that the first story, which we're planning for May, would arrive in June, the second in July, and so on and so forth.
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Funding period
- (30 days)