The following titles by Michael Bailey are now available as audiobooks through Audible, and soon through iTunes.
HANGTOWN, based on a true story, is a historical western about the hangings in a placer mining town that once went by that moniker, one of the first established diggings during the chaos of the Gold Rush. Set in 1848 to 1850, the unlawful were punished and hanged swiftly for crimes of theft and violence, haunting forever what is now Placerville, California. Returning to his hometown, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and Bram Stoker Award®-winning writer and editor Michael Bailey fills in the missing pieces of a town’s dark past in this homage to Charles Portis’ True Grit and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. Cover artwork by Ben Baldwin, and illustrated by Mar Garcia.
PSYCHOTROPIC DRAGON is the third composite novel (technically a fiction collection) by Michael Bailey. Part short novel, part novella, part novelette, with a few short stories and fables in between, Psychotropic Dragon is a mind-bending composite narrative about Julie Stipes and her experience with the street drug Drakein-5. The psychotropic eye drops blur reality, sending her through a horrific journey of self-discovery and recovery. Each act in this ensemble is further brought to life with illustrations by Daniele Serra, Glenn Chadbourne, L.A. Spooner, and Ty Scheuerman.
PHOENIX ROSE, a composite novel. Michael Bailey returns to the strange town of Brenden, Washington to expand the events of Palindrome Hannah. A family is torn apart after a horse foaling goes terribly wrong; a sickly man recounts getting mauled by his neighbor’s dog; an undead priest is reborn into the world a hundred-fifty years after his untimely death; two brothers run for their lives through a dead field of wheat. Holding all of this together is a young boy named Todd, whose survival pivots on the balance of life and death, and a deranged mental patient with a burnt rose tattoo, whose reality is paradoxical. Cover artwork by Michael Ian Bateson.
PALINDROME HANNAH, a composite novel by Michael Bailey. Enter a cruel palindrome world: a symmetric place where disturbing situations displace the common; where good acts transmute to evil ones; where windows and mirrors are interchangeable. Within, characters influence each other through macabre arrangements of involuntary happenstance, and learn the inevitabilities of coincidence. A segmented story of a mother and daughter intertwines the others. This hidden sixth story, assembled from the five separate narratives, uncovers the sad life of a child who carries a palindrome name, and her struggling teenage mother. With five stories heading one direction, and Hannah traveling the opposite, the story unfolds like a palindrome. A puzzle within a puzzle.
OUR CHILDREN, OUR TEACHERS, a standalone novelette by Michael Bailey, nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction. Children are often our greatest teachers, but what happens if the lesson is too heavy to hold? A high school in rural Brenden, Washington is taken hostage by a gathering of unlikely students trying to teach the world a new lesson … a foreshadowing, perhaps, to darker times ahead for the American education system, if gun control is not addressed properly.
Palindrome Hannah is currently a BookBub selection. Snag this eBook March 27th through the end of April 3rd for only $0.99 in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. Also available as an audiobook.
Enter a cruel palindrome world: a symmetric place where disturbing situations displace the common; where good acts transmute to evil ones; where windows and mirrors are interchangeable. Within, characters influence each other through macabre arrangements of involuntary happenstance, and learn the inevitabilities of coincidence. A segmented story of a mother and daughter intertwines the others. This hidden sixth story, assembled from the five separate narratives, uncovers the sad life of a child who carries a palindrome name, and her struggling teenage mother. With five stories heading one direction, and Hannah traveling the opposite, the story unfolds like a palindrome. A puzzle within a puzzle.
The debut novel by Michael Bailey, and a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award. Features illustrations by Michael Ian Bateson.
The Library of the Dead is currently a BookBub selection. Snag this eBook now through the end of March 3rd for only $0.99 in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada.
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology and illustrated throughout by gak, The Library of the Dead is an anthology of literary fiction inspired by Chapel of the Chimes, a crematory and columbarium founded in 1909 in Oakland, California, and one of the area’s most beautiful historic buildings. Thousands are entombed in golden books (urns) shelved from floor to ceiling in a glowing labyrinth of nearly countless rooms. The stories within represent a few of those golden books, and when opened, reveal the stories of those inside.
For a limited time, free review copies of audiobooks are available on a first come, first served basis, including Hangtown, Palindrome Hannah, and Our Children, Our Teachers.
Returning to his hometown, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and Bram Stoker Award-winning writer and editor Michael Bailey fills in the missing pieces of a town’s dark past in this homage to Charles Portis’ True Grit and Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian.
Based on a true story, Hangtownis a historical western about the hangings in a placer mining town that once went by that moniker, one of the first established diggings during the chaos of the Gold Rush. Set from 1848 to 1850, the unlawful were punished and hanged swiftly for crimes of theft and violence, haunting forever what is now Placerville, California.
For a limited time, 25 free review copies will be given out in the United States, as well as 25 free review copies in the United Kingdom. Simply email hangtown@nettirw.com with your preference and a link with a code to download will be made available.
Palindrome Hannah, the debut novel by Michael Bailey, is still available as an audiobook, read by Lawrence Alexander.
Enter a cruel palindrome world: a symmetric place where disturbing situations displace the common; where good acts transmute to evil ones; where windows and mirrors are interchangeable. Within, characters influence each other through macabre arrangements of involuntary happenstance, and learn the inevitabilities of coincidence. A segmented story of a mother and daughter intertwines the others. This hidden sixth story, assembled from the five separate narratives, uncovers the sad life of a child who carries a palindrome name, and her struggling teenage mother. With five stories heading one direction, and Hannah traveling the opposite, the story unfolds like a palindrome. A puzzle within a puzzle.
For a limited time, 25 free review copies will be given out in the United States, as well as 25 free review copies in the United Kingdom. Simply email palindrome@nettirw.com with your preference and a link with a code to download will be made available.
Our Children, Our Teachers, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novelette by Michael Bailey, is also now available as an audiobook, read by Sherry L. Neiman.
Children are often our greatest teachers, but what happens if the lesson is too heavy to hold? In Our Children, Our Teachers, a high school is taken hostage by a gathering of unlikely students trying to teach the world a new lesson … a foreshadowing, perhaps, to darker times ahead for the American education system if gun control is not addressed properly.
For a limited time, 25 free review copies will be given out in the United States, as well as 25 free review copies in the United Kingdom. Simply email ocot@nettirw.com with your preference and a link with a code to download will be made available.
Written Backwards is not open to submissions at this time, but due to high interest and numerous inquiries about You, Human, Vol. 2 (to be released in 2025), we are announcing an early open call for submissions for the month of September, 2024. Do not send submissions yet (unless invited). The open call for submissions will begin September 1st and end September 30th later this year.
YOU, HUMAN
The first volume of You, Human(2016) won the Benjamin Franklin Award for science fiction and is the most successful and widely-read anthology published by Written Backwards. Josh Malerman’s story “The Jupiter Drop” was also nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction and is currently in development as a major motion picture.
If you need to catch up, it is highly recommended to read the first volume of You, Human before submitting work for consideration.
The second volume will again not only feature legends of the craft but showcase today’s emerging talent. The anthology is currently invite-only (with more announcements to be revealed soon), but submissions will open to the public in September.
What does it mean to be alive? What does it mean to be real? What does it mean to exist? What does it mean to be human? Once again, Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics will be re-evaluated and revised to help define humanity, this time by novelettes (7,500 – 15,000 words max).
Three Laws of Humanity:
A human being may not injure another human being or, through inaction, allow another human being to come to harm.
A human being must obey the orders given it by other human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law.
A human being must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second laws.
GUIDELINES
Manuscripts must include contact information on the title page, as well as author name (or pseudonym) and page numbers on subsequent pages; 12pt font, double-spaced; there are no hard guidelines for auto-rejections, but understand the basics of professional manuscript formatting.
Original fiction: 7,500 – 15,000words. The sweet spot is 7,500 – 10,000 words.
Accepted genre(s): Dark sci-fi and all blended sub-genres (horror, fantasy, etc.)
Payment: $0.10 / word (ten cents per word) capped at 5,000 words, and a contributor copy of each edition published (hardcover, paperback, and eBook). So, $500 per story. For collaborative works, payment will be split equally between collaborators.
Rights: First World Rights in English; all rights revert to the writer immediately upon publication, although 12 months exclusivity is requested, except for inclusion in a personal or “best of” collection published after the anthology. All other rights remain with the author.
Submission window: September 1st – September 30th, 2024 (30 days, ending midnight your time). This gives you from now until the end of September to work on something original. Submissions received before or after this window (unless requested) will be auto-rejected.
Exception: Writers previously published in any Written Backwards anthology may submit work at any time, regardless of the submission window. Basically, alumni are always invited.
Reprints: No.
Instant rejections: stories under 7,500 words, stories over 15,000 words, reprints, excerpts, nonfiction, young adult, poetry (unless personally invited), romance, erotica, gore for the sake of gore, violence for the sake of violence, works that contain hate speech or discrimination of any kind other than to fight against such horrible things, and any writing influenced by A.I.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
All submissions will be checked for the use of artificial intelligence in their creation using detection software and will be automatically rejected if found to include influence. Likewise, any who submit such material will be banned from future submissions to Written Backwards anthologies.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please notify if your submission is accepted by another venue. Please only submit one manuscript at a time and wait for a non-acceptance (rejection) prior to submitting again, with no more than 2 submissions total.
Illustrations: Similar to previous Written Backwards titles, accepted stories may include illustrations. If an artist is used, they will be paid professional rates and the use of A.I. will not be allowed,
Publication: 2025 (to be determined).
Formats: Hardcover, paperback, and eBook.
Due to the number of submissions anticipated (typically 1,000 – 1,500, sometimes as high as 2,500), non-acceptances will be announced by way of a form response as quickly as manageable.
Allow up to 3 months before inquiring about a submission. For submissions that reach the “maybe pile,” additional time for consideration will be requested until the anthology is full.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Email YH2@nettirw.com with the story attached (.docx, .doc, .rtf only; no PDF). Feel free to include a short bio and information about your particular demographic (representing the underrepresented is a passion of the editor), but no other information is needed.
OTHER INFORMATION
Please do not use this opportunity (as many have in the past) to query about other potential projects. Written Backwards is not open at this time to fiction collections, poetry collections, novellas, novels, anthology ideas, or any other projects.
Written Backwards has always highlighted the work of a diverse cast of writers from around the world and will continue to do so, which is why this anthology will open for submissions and will pay professional rates. While not many like the term “literary,” that is what this anthology is looking for: groundbreaking work that break normal conventions and will stand the test of time, propelling emerging and undiscovered writers into the mainstream.
If unfamiliar with previous Written Backwards anthologies that blend science fiction with other genres, it is highly recommended to read previous titles, such as Prisms and/or Adam’s Ladder (co-edited by Darren Speegle), Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors(co-edited by Doug Murano), the original You, Human, any of the books in the Chiral Mad series, or the Qualia Nous series. Familiarizing yourself with these works will better your chances of landing a spot in You, Human, Vol. 2.
All accepted works will meet active membership requirements for organizations such as the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), the Horror Writers Association (HWA), and others.
Similar to previous Written Backwards anthologies, all contracts protect the writer.
TABLE OF CONTENTS (so far):
“AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse” by Eugen Bacon “Time for a (R)Evolution! – A Documentary” by Sachin Baliga “The Touch of an Old Friend’s Hand” by Scott Edelman With an introduction by Maxwell Ian Gold.
You, Human is currently a BookBub selection. Snag this eBook and other Written Backwards dark sci-fi anthologies now through the end of February 12th for only $0.99 in the US and UK, and discounted in Australia and Canada.
Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Bailey brings you a genre-bending anthology of dark science fiction and poetry, with fiction illustrated beautifully throughout by world-renowned artist L.A. Spooner, poetry and spot illustrations by the always-impressive Orion Zangara, and an incredible introduction on humanness by New York Times bestselling author F. Paul Wilson. Cover artwork by George C. Cotronis. Also features the Bram Stoker Award-nominated short story “Jupiter Drop” by Josh Malerman. And the anthology itself won the Benjamin Franklin Award.
And coming in 2025 . . . You, Human, Vol. 2: Novelettes. So, this is the perfect chance to catch up on all things You, Human before then.
And if you enjoy dark science fiction and horror, you might be interested in the following anthologies, which are also running the $0.99 promotion:
MISCREATIONS: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors, an anthology of dark speculative fiction co-edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey. What happens when we make monsters? What happens when we make monsters of ourselves? Grotesque beings lurch from our darkest dreams. Vicious beasts stalk our twisted pasts. Lost souls haunt our deepest regrets. They are the blood on our hands. They are the obsessions in our heads. They are the vengeance in our hearts. They are Miscreations: Gods, Monstrosities & Other Horrors. Includes a foreword by Alma Katsu and illustrations by HagCult. Nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award.
ADAM’S LADDER, an anthology of dark science fiction. The future of humankind as an ever-changing organism is a subject of much debate. Where is our evolutionary path leading? Will the next rung take the form of mental transcendence, will it set humankind on a course toward divinity, or will this uncertain path involve a dark and terrible reversion? Co-editors Michael Bailey and Darren Speegle present eighteen tales that explore the course of evolution, written by some of the best literary minds in the fields of science fiction and horror, such as Laird Barron, John Langan, Tim Lebbon, Lisa Morton, Brian Evenson, and Roberta Lannes. It’s your future.
QUALIA NOUS, VOL. 2, an anthology of dark science fiction and fantasy edited by Michael Bailey and featuring artwork throughout by Pat R. Steiner. This second volume of the award-winning Qualia Nous series contains short stories, novelettes, and poetry from established authors and newcomers from around the world. Featuring the imaginations of Chuck Palahniuk, Stephen King, Eugen Bacon, Josh Malerman, Cynthia Pelayo, Lee Murray, Eric LaRocca, Gabino Iglesias, Linda D. Addison, Zoje Stage, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Gary A. Braunbeck, and more.
QUALIA NOUS, winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award and nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology, is a literary blend of science fiction and horror. Contains short stories, novelettes, and poetry from established authors and newcomers from around the world. Features Bram Stoker Award winning stories by Usman T. Malik and Rena Mason (both tied for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction), as well as stories by Stephen King, Emily B. Cataneo, Erinn L. Kemper, Patrick Freivald, William F. Nolan, Elizabeth Massie, John R. Little, Gary A. Braunbeck, and many others. *Due to contractual obligations/limitations, the eBook does not include Stephen King’s “The Jaunt.”
I am stoke(re)d to see Qualia Nous, Vol. 2 on the Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. I’m “the editor,” so focus goes on me for a bit, but the following and their work are responsible for this book being what it is:
“Interstices” (found poem(s) from Vol. 1 as an intro) – Pat R. Steiner “A Story That Must Be Read Alone but Never at Night” (short story) – Chuck Palahniuk “Shattered in Daylight” (poem) – Linda D. Addison “We Come Apart and Then We Arrive” (short story) – Eric LaRocca “Here We Are” (poem) – Elizabeth Massie “An Invitation for the Uninvited” (novelette) – Scott Edelman “Set Me on Fire” (poem) – Cynthia Pelayo “Twice as Many Stars” (short story) – Paul Michael Anderson “Playground of the Gods” (poem) – Christina Sng “The Fallen Man” (short story) – Geneve Flynn “Lullabies of a Distant World” (poem) – Pedro Iniguez “Other” (short story) – Gordon Linzner “Vessel” (poem) – Lee Murray “Come Find Me” (short story) – Zoje Stage “Self-Discovery” (poem) – Ngo Binh Anh Khoa “The Song of Fools” (novelette) – Patrick Freivald “A Particle Accelerator Love Song” (poem) – Brent Baldwin “Blue-Red-Green” (novelette) – Peter Hagelslag “Sacrificing for the Path of Orbits” (poem) – Christopher Collingwood “Investigations into Hypnagogia” (novelette) – Sachin Baliga “My Memory Is as Time Is” (poem) – Mark Granger “The Infinite Hourglass” (short story) – Kehkashan Khalid “Common Sense, No More” (prose poem) – Maxwell I. Gold “The Sum of Our Parts Needs Only One Heart” (short story) – Michael Paul Gonzalez “Alive / Real / Exists / Human” (collection of poems) – Eugen Bacon “Bilocation in Liminal Space” (short story) – Erik Williams “Danse Sanguinaire” (poem) – Deborah L. Davitt “Choose Your Own Demise” (short story) – Richard Thomas & Repo Kempt “Crazy” (poem) – Jeffrey Oliver “Stuff She Put in a Box for Her New Room” (novelette) – Gary A. Braunbeck “What Weird Weather We Had” (poem) – Josh Malerman “Oil on Water” (short story) – Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki “Nightmare” (poem) – L. Marie Wood “Once, I Dreamed I Was Dead” (short story) – Rebecca J. Allred “Paranoid: A Chant” (poem) – Stephen King “Lucid Interval” (novelette) – Michael J. Riser “Deeply You” (poem) – Max Booth III “The Thing That Laughs in the Dark” (short story) – Gabino Iglesias “Some Days, Most Days” (poem) – Kaaron Warren “Dog-Whistles” (short story) – Cody Goodfellow “Ghost in the Machine” (poem) – Karen Poppy “Everyday Horror” (short story) – Steve Rasnic Tem “Me” (poem) – Jamal Hodge
The original Qualia Nous made the final ballot and was nominated for Superior Achievement in an Anthology, with two of its stories winning for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction (Usman T. Malik and Rena Mason, in a tie). The anthology also won the Benjamin Franklin Award. Let’s hope the second volume finds its way onto the final ballot as well!
Madness and Writers: The Untold Truth. Maybe? (hosted by Lukas Hassel), will be a seven-part creative documentary series about writers (each episode an hour long), with the first season dedicated to horror! Be sure to subscribe to the Madness and Writers YouTube channel since new clips will be added regularly.
December 11th through the end of December 17th, all Written Backwards eBooks are on sale for $1.99 US / £1.99 UK or cheaper on Kindle. One is even free for a limited time. See direct links below:
“Interstices” (found poem(s) from Vol. 1 as an intro) – Pat R. Steiner “A Story That Must Be Read Alone but Never at Night” (short story) – Chuck Palahniuk “Shattered in Daylight” (poem) – Linda D. Addison “We Come Apart and Then We Arrive” (short story) – Eric LaRocca “Here We Are” (poem) – Elizabeth Massie “An Invitation for the Uninvited” (novelette) – Scott Edelman “Set Me on Fire” (poem) – Cynthia Pelayo “Twice as Many Stars” (short story) – Paul Michael Anderson “Playground of the Gods” (poem) – Christina Sng “The Fallen Man” (short story) – Geneve Flynn “Lullabies of a Distant World” (poem) – Pedro Iniguez “Other” (short story) – Gordon Linzner “Vessel” (poem) – Lee Murray “Come Find Me” (short story) – Zoje Stage “Self-Discovery” (poem) – Ngo Binh Anh Khoa “The Song of Fools” (novelette) – Patrick Freivald “A Particle Accelerator Love Song” (poem) – Brent Baldwin “Blue-Red-Green” (novelette) – Peter Hagelslag “Sacrificing for the Path of Orbits” (poem) – Christopher Collingwood “Investigations into Hypnagogia” (novelette) – Sachin Baliga “My Memory Is as Time Is” (poem) – Mark Granger “The Infinite Hourglass” (short story) – Kehkashan Khalid “Common Sense, No More” (prose poem) – Maxwell I. Gold “The Sum of Our Parts Needs Only One Heart” (short story) – Michael Gonzalez “Alive / Real / Exists / Human” (collection of poems) – Eugen Bacon “Bilocation in Liminal Space” (short story) – Erik Williams “Danse Sanguinaire” (poem) – Deborah L. Davitt “Choose Your Own Demise” (short story) – Richard Thomas & Repo Kempt “Crazy” (poem) – Jeff Oliver “Stuff She Put in a Box for Her New Room” (novelette) – Gary A. Braunbeck “What Weird Weather We Had” (poem) – Josh Malerman “Oil on Water” (short story) – Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki “Nightmare” (poem) – L. Marie Wood “Once, I Dreamed I Was Dead” (short story) – Rebecca J. Allred “Paranoid: A Chant” (poem) – Stephen King “Lucid Interval” (novelette) – Michael J. Riser “Deeply You” (poem) – Max Booth III “The Thing That Laughs in the Dark” (short story) – Gabino Iglesias “Some Days, Most Days” (poem) – Kaaron Warren “Dog-Whistles” (short story) – Cody Goodfellow “Ghost in the Machine” (poem) – Karen Poppy “Everyday Horror” (short story) – Steve Rasnic Tem “Me” (poem) – Jamal Hodge
The anthology also contains 43 pieces of artwork by Pat R. Steiner, who also wrote the found-poem / introduction, which contains fragments of fiction and poetry from the original Qualia Nous.
Purchase directly from the publisher (US only, shipping included) . . .
WRITTEN BACKWARDS 