Or, more correctly: Questions that we're most likely to get heaved at us, and want to try deflect with a helpful page.

 

What sort of stories do you want?

That's a tough one. It's obviously not nursery rhymes we're after here. There's so many sub-genres when you look at dark thrillers, such as: Horror, Occult, Zombies, Ghosts, Gothic, Science-Fiction, etc.

I don't want any ULTRA-VIOLENT, highly-disturbing stories that will likely cause depression in the reader. We want them intrigued, spooked a bit but entertained. I guess in the realm of Steven King, James Herbert or Shaun Hutson is a yardstick - but variety is the spice of life!

 

What's the deadline for submissions?

This is by far the more frequently asked question! At present there is no deadline. I envisage finishing the book this year, but don't want to pressure the authors into writing a specific amount by a specific date. If you're not sure you can spend enough time writing a piece, just bear in mind that there's plenty of time, so it's worth signing up if you want to take part.

 

How much will it cost?

Depends on the number of submissions. If it turns into a bit of a Yellow Pages, I'll have to think about pruning it down a bit. If there's a good 15-20 stories, with illustrations and other graphical loveliness I'd imagine the cost of producing the artwork, printing, packaging and posting to take it to £20 a copy.

Like I said before, this isn't an exercise in making money. If I cover the costs and make something great - I'll be chuffed.

 

What will it look like?

Fantastic. I hope....   ... I think that the stories we receive will set the style for the project and the book itself. As mentioned on the front page, I'm looking at a 11" square book with a nice heavy cover and a spiral binding.

 

What language will it be in?

Strange question. I though English would be convenient. Having said that, our writers are from all over the world, with quite a few in America. This poses the problem of US/UK spellings. For a short-run exclusive book like this it isn't economical to produce two language versions. I'll have to ponder this a bit.

 

Is there payment for submitting work?

We'll look at that. I'd prefer to discount the cost of the book for submitters, but as the project develops, we'll explore this. Good enough for you?

 

Will the book be sold to a proper publisher?

Not unless I can live off the proceeds. I'm hoping for a short-run cult status - not mass marketed dirge.

 

Will there be other book projects?

Let's get this one nailed shall we?

 

Why are you doing this?

I wrote a few stories in my teens, of the type I'm describing here. They're only amateurish (ask me and I'll show you) but I enjoyed doing it. Thinking about this gave me the idea of producing a few more short stories (so much easier than trying to write a block-buster). I thought "Why bother? there's people out there who can produce much better stories than I can". A few strokey-beard moments later I came up with this.

 

Dark Hoard? What's with the name?

'Dark' - because it features dark fiction and 'Hoard' because it is a collection of stories - an anthology. This was a working title, but has become so familiar that it has stuck.

 

What's the Headlong logo at the bottom of the page?

It's what I'm using as the "publisher" name for this project. The title of the book might change, but this will remain - I thought that would be a good idea. I just like the work 'Headlong' too.

 

Who the hell are you?

My name is Nick Button. I'm a graphic designer, currently running a web studio. I have enjoyed reading James Herbert, Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, Shaun Hutson, Andy McNabb, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, etc. I've tinkered with writing myself in the past and just happened on the idea of doing this.

You can see my new-media design portfolio on my website:    www.nickbutton.co.uk.

 

I like it - and I want in!

If you are interested in becoming a contributor, click the button below to send your email address. Even if you're not sure yet, send me your details and we can start a dialogue.