Long time no post!
So anyone tangentially involved with publishing knows it’s a mess out there. The AI techbros are swamping the self publish markets with low quality drivel. (“AI” “writing” is theft!) Big publishers are being bought up by the same venture capitalists that destroyed Toys R Us. It was a brutal industry to start with and things like that aren’t making it any better.
It makes it hard to find the joy in writing.
So I’m aggressively channeling my inner Marie Kondo and doing what sparks joy. And you know what doesn’t spark joy? Stories left to molder doing nothing.
I write weird stuff. Genre blending things. My favorite story ever famously got a “this is has too much sci fi” from the horror mags and a “this has too much horror” from the sci fi mags. The prestigious mags are putting out good things, but the things they want fit in neat little sub genre boxes and that’s not anything I do. A lot of people tell me they like what I’m doing, but the publishers aren’t any of them.
So what do I do with my weird stuff? I’m making this into a big art project.
I’m going old school and making a paper ‘zine. Print / Stapled / Mailed to your door!
Word Mines! Stories from my copy machine to your mailbox.
Interested? I’ve got a google form linked RIGHT HERE where you can sign up. The first issue is going to be buttoned up shortly so get it on it!
Mike Douton's Stuff and/or Junk 