Sunday, April 6, 2014

Dzanc Books is publishing three exciting titles this month.

We kicked things off with Robert Coover's The Brunist Day of Wrath. In a recent review at the Wall Street Journal, Howard Schneider called the book "[T]he best, most impressive novel I've read in years."

Sara Veglahn's The Mayflies is a poetic exploration of loneliness and transformation. The Mayfliescompassionately approaches ways we might survive our repetitions and find our way home.

Sankya by Zakhar Prilepin is the newest title title out of our DISQUIET imprint. Translated from Russian by Mariya Gusev and Jeff Parker, Prilepin's fantastic novel tells the story of Russian anarchists, who violently oppose the state of their government. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Read the first chapter here.

Dzanc Books Update

Literary master and meta-fiction champion Robert Coover's long await The Brunist Day of Wrath, sequel to his award-winning The Origin of the Brunists, is both a scathing indictment of fundamentalism and a careful examination of a world where religion competes with money, common sense, despair, and reason.

Stephen Grahm Jones' Not for Nothing, a novel written in second person, is a twisty noir thriller about an ex detective living in his home town's lone storage facility.

 Byrd is Kim Church's debut novel Told through letters and sharply drawn vignettes about a young woman who gives birth to a son-Byrd-and surrenders him for adoption without telling the father, little imagining how the secret will shape their lives.

News from Calamari Press


Calamari Press is pleased to announce the release of NICETIES: AURAL ARDOR, PARDON ME by Elizabeth Mikesch: http://calamaripress.com/Niceties.htm

Also forthcoming soon (March 1) is DEEP ELLUM by Brandon Hobson & a re-issue of TRAVEL NOTES by Stanley Crawford. 

SLEEPINGFISH is also now open for submissions. The bad news is that Sleepingfish issue ∞ will be the final issue, the good news is that it will be indefinitely ongoing (online). Posted recently was the first issue of Process News  (before they changed the name to CITY MOON)—a newspaper that David Ohle & Roger Martin published in the early 70s to 80s: http://sleepingfish.net/13/001_Process_news.htm

If you're in Seattle next week for AWP, Calamari Press will be at table CC27. Brandon Hobson & Elizabeth Mikesch will be there too. Stop by & say hi. 
Otherwise, Calamari Press is also offering omakase-inspired selections of books in packages of 5 (for $40) and 8 (for $50): http://calamaripress.com/chefs_selection.htm

The 2014 Leapfrog Fiction Contest is open for entries from January 15 to May 1.



What to Enter
The contest is for Adult Fiction and Children's Fiction (middle grade and YA only*). Any novella- or novel-length work of fiction, including short-story collections, not previously published** is eligible. The minimum length is 22,000*** words; there is no maximum length.

All unpublished stories submitted in short-story collections will automatically be considered for publication in Crossborder.

* Middle grade fiction is loosely defined here as novels for 4th-8th graders, usually featuring a protagonist in that age group. YA or young adult novels can be for age 13 and up, approximately. If you are unsure whether your novel is YA or adult, it is fine to indicate "YA/adult." We are not picky about labels. We do not accept picture books for young children or any books with color illustrations.

** Previously self-published books that have no more than 100 copies in circulation will be considered "unpublished" and may be submitted. Short stories that have been published in literary journals may be included in collections.

*** "Why can't my manuscript be less than 22,000 words?" We have set this as a rough minimum because a certain length is needed to create a book. Even 22,000 words makes for a tiny book indeed, in height, width, and thickness. Anything less, and there would be no spine possible. A "long" short story might run 20,000 words, and would not make a stand-alone book. If your manuscript is just under that minimum, but you feel it is strong and large in concept, though short on words, we will not automatically disqualify it from the contest. Be sure that if it is for children it is for at least an advanced 8-year-old. To get a sense of our middle grade books, take a look at the novels of BB Wurge or Mick Carlon (you can use the "search inside" feature on Amazon).