Putting Together an Anthology

Dancing Lemur Press has published numerous anthologies over the years. Today I’d like to share Terri A. Wilson’s thoughts on putting together Area 51 Raid Anthology.

Don't bother with the raid. Stay home and learn all about it in the comfort of your own home.

What’s in Area 51? Is the government hiding aliens? Elvis? Maybe the set of the Apollo moon landing? Do you know?

We do.

Join this multi-genre group as they explore the hidden recesses of Area 51, which up until now have only been whispered conspiracies. Don’t bother with the raid. Stay home, read these awesome stories and learn all you need to know.

The truth is just a page-flip away.

*All proceeds will go to US Veterans.

Website: Area 51 Raid Anthology

Universal Book Links: Books 2 Read

Interview with Terri A. Wilson, Anthology Organizer

1. What made you choose this genre and theme for the anthology?

I know that if I had been around in the sixties, I would have gone to Woodstock. I’d love to go the Running Man one year. Gatherings like this fascinate me. It reminds me that there is a lot good still left in the world. I’m also a conspiracist. There are a lot of things the government hides from us. When I heard about the raid on Area 51, it just sounded like a fun event. I’m not going to spend money and time traveling out there, but I thought I could capture some of that fun community with my author friends. It also seemed like a great way to give back, which is why I was adamant about donating to a charity.

2. How did you go about soliciting entries?

I ran it past a good writer friend of mine to see if it was a good of an idea as I thought. Then we just posted on Facebook and tagged everyone we knew and asked them to tag people they knew. I’ve asked people in real life who have expressed an interest in writing a book. I even asked the kid who organized this event in the first place. We had about thirty people within forty-eight hours.

3. What’s it like to work with a flock of authors?

It’s energizing, fun, and challenging. This is the first project like this that I’m organizing. In some ways I’m learning as I go. I have authors of all abilities and personalities. My personality is very laid back and so at first, I didn’t have strict guidelines except for the deadline. Then I realized, some need those guidelines. I also learned pretty quickly that as the organizer I needed to make some decisions and then stick with them. I’m not forcing anyone to participate in this anthology. It was important to me to keep the opportunity open to anyone who can get an edited story to me by the due date. This will be the first chance for at least one person to publish. That excites me the most about this project.

That’s how I feel about the anthologies we put together – it’s some writer’s first published story and that’s exciting.

Will you be picking up a copy or submitting to another anthology this year?