Wild Blue Wonder Press is launched, and I realized I haven’t officially chatted about it on my blog, so here we go.
Wild Blue Wonder Press has always been my main imprint, but I’ve wanted it to be something more, well, forever! In particular, I wanted it to serve as a way to help indie authors which has always been one of my main goals with everything, from my blog tour services way back when to Reveries Co. and onward to more recent services like Growing Writers.
So let’s get to it!
What is Wild Blue Wonder Press?
To quote our website:
Wild Blue Wonder Press was established in January 2016 by Kellyn Roth for the purpose of independently publishing her historical women’s fiction series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.
Based on a special location on her family’s property and a childhood stumbling over phrases, Kellyn chose the name to evoke feelings of wonder in a world full of dark valleys. After all, where there is snow and ice, there will be chickadees, and in the midst of the darkest woods, you can often find a cozy cabin.
As of January 2023, Wild Blue Wonder Press is beginning working with other creatives to expand its outreach and help other independent writers achieve their dreams in a professional manner.
In the long run, my goal is to provide an alternative to indie publishing on your own for people who still want to indie publish.
Now, indie publishing is meant to be an … independent … experience. It’s in the name, after all! However, I have often noticed a similar trend when I watch newbie indies launch their first book. And sometimes their second book. And their fifth. And so on.
There’s a lack of guidance, and oftentimes that leads to a lack of quality. It also will generally lead to wasted money, time, and disappointment. Some indie authors give up, and others truck along, feeling hopeless and worried about their future. Most give up on a career. Some don’t—some stick it out and figure it out.
But is there an easier way?
My long-turn goal with Wild Blue Wonder Press is to provide an alternative source of support that mentors authors through their first launch and even provides financial support. Afterwards, some authors may stay with Wild Blue Wonder Press—and others may move on to do the process by themselves.
That said, everyone has an option to do what they want. I just want there to be another option for newer indie authors who want to get a start in a realistic way while learning about the process. Of course, we can’t help a lot of indie authors to start with, but in the long term, I want us to expand to help many authors get their start.
And that all starts with a successful anthology launch.
Springtime in Surrey, Our First Anthology
Our first big project will be at least two if not three anthologies (also known as “short story collections). #1, which is now open for submissions, is Springtime in Surrey.
You can find out about Springtime in Surrey on our anthology page. In particular, please see the “your submission” section to see what you will be submitting. (It’s not exactly your average collection of stories!)
There are also further submission guidelines and a Pinterest inspiration board available for the project.
The main idea is you’re pitching YOURSELF as much as your story (which does not have to be written—just outlined—at the time of submission.
Stories included in this collection will be:
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Women’s fiction, generally aimed at young adult or adult audiences.
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Vintage in style if not in setting.
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Real-life characters & therefore real-life problems.
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Heavy Christian themes.
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May be historical or contemporary.
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Featuring stories set in County Surrey, England.
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Desired word count: 10,000-20,000 words. Flexibility may be available.
To submit for the collection, your story does not have to be completed—but you will have to submit a full synopsis, so if you are a pantser, it may be a good idea to write the story ahead of time. You can view our official submission page here. But here’s what you’ll submit:
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An introduction to yourself, written in first person, which should include past writing experience, any details about your platform, and other applicable information you wish to share about your time as a reader, writer, and member of the “bookish community.” Note that beginners are welcome; however, it is helpful to know how much you have done, even if that answer is “practically nothing.” It’ll help us know how to help you!
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A brief description of the types of books you enjoy writing or would like to write and a brief summary of your dreams for a writing career. This way we can understand better what your goals are.
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A “pitch” of a short story idea that could theoretically fit into our collection. This does not have to be written. However, we want a full synopsis or rough outline that gives us the beginning, middle, and end of your story idea, a decent understanding of who your main character is and why we should care about them, and a brief summary of the main theme.
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A snippet of a book, short story, or other piece of writing that you have worked on in the past, preferably something that has received no professional edits (edits from friends or family is fine!). At least 3,000 words preferred.
To submit, you can email the above in a PDF or Word Document to admin@wildbluewonderpress.com! Note that on the anthology page, you will find a link at the bottom of the page to view further submission guidelines that are worth the read!
We can’t do any of our grand plans for bringing change to the indie community if the anthologies flop. So if you’d like to join us, or support us, please consider doing so!
That said, this is all in God’s hands. This is really my variation of “putting out a fleece.” I’ve had a lot of difficulties as I’ve been preparing to launch the press, particularly with my health and with other things going on in my life. I am prayerfully watching how God chooses to realize this dream.
As you can read about on the “about” page, our mission is “to share fictional stories full of grace and truth. Our goal is to create stories that matter, to delve into the deepest and sometimes the saddest parts of life, and to return from the darkest valleys resplendent in the light of hope and the fullness of joy.”
TTFN!
~Kell~
P.S.
Are you submitting for our anthology? 😛 Anyways, I’m really excited about this, and I can’t wait to share more! Be sure to follow along by heading over to our website and joining our newsletter or checking us out on Instagram or Facebook. We could really use the support!
Are you interested in getting to know me & my books better?
I want to invite you to my super secret club. I mean, it’s not really a secret, because I’m telling you about it now, but here goes.
Join Mrs. Roth’s Society Column, my street team! We’d love to have you along for the ride!
