A Writer’s Vanity

Posted By Jason Sizemore on August 17, 2010

Remember the post about The Zombie Feed? I’ve decided to restructure the business model around the site. I don’t have time to track down 52 stories a year at this point in my life. Instead, I’ll post a reprint every month or few weeks for free.

And, oh yeah, I’m going to use The Zombie Feed to publish zombie books! Yes, there are plenty of other zombie publishers out there. Yes, they’re a dime-a-dozen. But I love zombies as a creature and concept. I want to do the books because I want to publish stuff that has more of a pulp/action feel. Apex isn’t the proper forum for this, but TZF (The Zombie Feed) should do just fine.

The first anthology will be titled simply The Zombie Feed. I’m going to make you visit the site to get the guidelines.

I might invite two or three zombie masters into the anthology, but in general it’s an open call.

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Tags: anthology, submissions, the zombie feed

Posted By Jason Sizemore on August 9, 2010

My roommate for Context has backed out on me. While I love having a private space during conventions, I would prefer to split the cost of room & board and save a few bucks.

Would you be interested in being my roommate?

Requirements:
1) I must know you.
2) You don’t find CPAP machines to be creepy. I do, but I have to wear one when I sleep.
3) While the odds of accidental nudity are slim, it is a possibility that you will have to be prepared to confront.
4) You don’t leave your dirty undergarments in the bathroom after your morning ablutions.

Meet the requirements? Then send me an email and we’ll talk.
jason at apexbookcompany dot com.

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on August 4, 2010

Thursday through Sunday I will be attending GenCon. Apex has a small table in the Author’s Row area. We’ll have an eclectic set of books to sell (you can only sell books you’ve written or edited). I can tell you that Dark Faith, Close Encounters of the Urban Kind, Beauty & Dynamite, and Harlan County Horrors will be well represented.

I’ll also have Apex T-shirts hidden away.

As for me, this is my first GenCon. I used to be all into gaming conventions because (surprise! surprise!) I used to be a gamer. Origins in Columbus, OH, was Mecca for me. I’m hoping I can deny the call of the games and not get hooked into another expensive hobby!

Anyhoo, look me up. Hope to see you there.

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on August 3, 2010

Doing Apex Book Company is hard.

I mean that in a good way. I’ve never work on anything so rewarding and fun. And by ‘rewarding’ I’m not talking financially, though I’m finally not losing my shirt. I mean giving myself a feeling of self-accomplishment, that I’m doing something positive in the world. Probably sounds corny, but there you go.

All the same, I do think it’s healthy to keep a person’s interests varied. So occasionally I’ll venture a step or two outside the Apex comfort zone. For example, Dark Futures. Now there’s The Zombie Feed.

What is The Zombie Feed?

First, the url: http://thezombiefeed.biz.

I’m a zombie fan. One of the defining images of my childhood was Bud and the gang ripping out the Colonel’s innards during the horrific climax of Day of the Dead (you can blame my mom for letting me watch the movie). I’ve watched zombies be the new ‘hotness’ for the past five years. Now I want to play.

Ebooks are currently hot, as well. So I thought why not combine the two?

At The Zombie Feed you can purchase a subscription to receive 52 zombie short stories for just $15. Alternatively, you can buy separate stories that have run in the feed for $1.00.

The Zombie Feed is a separate beast from Apex Book Company. They’re not related businesses, but to keep my accounting simple The Zombie Feed is under the Apex Publications corporate banner. I do expect to occasionally cross-promote and link to each site from the other.

I’d like to ask the 15 readers of this blog a few small favors.

1) Consider subscribing to the feed. Failing that, follow the blog. Traffic is good!
2) Blog or tweet about the Feed
2) Suggest zombie reprints for me to pursue for the Feed. Doing a story a week means I’ll always be, uh, hungry for zombie stories. If you have a suggestion, just leave it in a comment below!

Thanks!

Category: The Zombie Feed | 3 Comments »
Tags: the zombie feed

Posted By Jason Sizemore on July 30, 2010

I know, I know, I’ve done a piss-poor job of maintaining my website. I’ve made sales. I’ve written stories. I’ve been making Apex into a powerhouse. All that takes a lot of my time.

Anyways, I’m going to redesign the site. Update the pages. Start posting to the blog. I promise. Give me a few days.

Until then go bug the hell out of Maurice Broaddus.

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on July 27, 2010

I’m available for the following:

Book layout/design
Proofreading
Short story critiques

I can also do fun blogging, if anyone is interested in a skill such as that. Blogging for dollars!

Rates:
Story critiques–$1 per 250 words
Proofreading — $25 per 40,000 words
Book layout/design — Varies…generally $75-$150

jason at apexbookcompany.com

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on June 3, 2010

I’ll be leaving tomorrow for a fantastic and fun convention–Hypericon. I will be splitting my day hours between the Apex table in the dealers’ room (come see me!), sitting on panels, or watching panels.

My night hours…well…those will have to be shared in private conversation.

If you get a chance and live in or around Nashville, TN, then by all means check out Hypericon!

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on June 2, 2010

I’ve been informed that my novelette “For the Sake of Pleasing” has been published by the fine folks at M-Brane SF. This makes me quite happy.

I’m going to list some reasons why you’ll enjoy this story:
1) Giant purple alien heads that explode in zero-G

Actually, that should be all the reason you need.

For ordering information just visit the M-Brane SF website.

Here’s a teaser:

November in the Romanian Alps was not a place to be. Who cared if her forefathers had bled on the same ground five hundred years ago? She had bled on toilets, in a subway car, on other people, on fields marked with satanic symbols, and none of that had counted for shit. She kicked her boot into the dry rut of road, sending a little flurry of dust and snow scattering away.

Smith had dropped her off fifty miles inside the border of Bulgaria and Romania. It was there they parted ways. She went north, into hell. He went east. No doubt he’d be looking to score some Italian tail, drinking cabernet, and saying those stupid little Italian phrases of love to whatever underaged princesses he’d find whoring themselves in the hostels. The testosterone reeked off of him, practically gagging Aspen on the helicopter ride to the dropoff point. No doubt he’d doped up on enough testosterone to get him through a whole season of love.

There was no promise of Italian love for her, just the likelihood of brutal rape and possible death.

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Tags: for the sake of pleasing, m-brane sf, short story

Posted By Jason Sizemore on April 29, 2010

Ever heard of Mo*Con? It’s a convention that Maurice Broaddus puts together to honor…himself. Actually, Maurice describes Mo*Con like so: Mo*Con is a convention focused on conversations revolving around horror literature and spirituality.

Well, I know better.

Whatever the case, I do know this–Mo*Con is helluva a convention. Alethea Kontis brings the world’s best baklava, there are catered dinners, and you get to hang out and commiserate with famous horror authors like Brian Keene. All of this happens in the basement of a church. You have to love a horror convention that is held in the basement of a church.

If you’re within driving range of Indianapolis this weekend, do yourself a favor and pop in at Mo*Con.

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Posted By Jason Sizemore on April 22, 2010

From the beginning of this project, I wanted a blurb from only one guy.

Jeff Carlson.

If you follow my posts over on the Apex blog then you know how high I hold his work in esteem. From his adrenaline pumped award winning short fiction to the triumphant Plague Zone trilogy, he’s one of the best authors of dark SF in the business. He’s an extremely busy guy (he recently became an international bestselling author so he’s got publishers pressuring him for more more more books) so I figured it was a long shot to get him to read DARK FUTURES to blurb.

I asked. He said ‘Send me a printed ARC and I’ll try.’ I sent the ARC.

Today I received a great blurb. Not only did he love the book, but he also gave us this awesome blurb that will adorn the front cover of my anthology:

“Hold onto your head! Editor Jason Sizemore loads a shotgun with futuristic stories, puts the barrel against your brain and pulls the trigger… Standouts in this sf anthology include James Reilly’s “Terra Tango 3,” Jennifer Pelland’s “Personal Jesus,” and Michele Lee’s “Meat World.” These stories are cutthroat, sinister, sometimes lonely and always disturbing.”
—Jeff Carlson, international bestselling author of Plague Zone

Thank you, Jeff. I’m glad you enjoyed the book!

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