Problematic Press is pleased to announce we have signed a new partnership with EBSCO Information Services.
Through this new deal, all past and future Problematic Press titles will be easily accessible through libraries all over the globe.
This is because “EBSCO is the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books and discovery service to libraries of all kinds.”
Curious about EBSCO? Learn more from this short video.
Otherwise, at this stage, Problematic Press can think beyond the local markets, knowing our titles can be read all over. This excites us greatly! That’s a fact.
And, if you’re daring to consider the writerly life for yourself, then allow us to alert you to our present CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS.
Problematic Press is a modest operation with limited resources. Our aim is to publish 1-2 books per year going forward.
Our titles are published as paperbacks and ebooks that are distributed through retailers and libraries both online and around the world.
Problematic Press is pleased to make this call for submissions.
Highlighted Details
DEADLINE: Nov. 1, 2020 (submitted by 11:59pm NL time).
We are interested in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Final drafts should be 20,000-39,999 words.
Responses will be sent to applicants in January 2021.
Read the rest of this post thoroughly to get the details.
Find the link to the submission form at the bottom of this post.
We invite pitches from interested authors with titles intended for publication in mid- to late-2021.
Provided the writing demonstrates exceptional mastery of English, we are open to considering original works from any person residing anywhere within Canada and legally entitled to work and earn income within Canada. However, we very much prefer to work with local creators in the St. John’s region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. This preference is stated outright.
Understand that any licensing agreement that may result from submitting your pitch represents an investment in you as well as your book. Beyond that, you must maintain a public persona that the publisher is excited to endorse. Liabilities will not be tolerated.
Expect this process to be lengthy, rigorous, and arduous. Our authors and artists thrive when challenged, and they have the dedication and patience required to persevere.
Before and after publication, all authors and artists are encouraged to pursue external funding opportunities, such as federal, provincial, and municipal grants. The timing of such opportunities will have an impact on the timeline of publication. That is understandable, and we are flexible enough to work within such a schedule for our grant-winning authors.
If this sounds thrilling to you, then dare to proceed.
Otherwise, turn back now, saving each of us a lot of time.
Problematic Press embodies the way of the MERCANARY™, our trademark sells-word chimaera.
In that spirit, we are excited to receive pitches for book-length works (20,000 words to 39,999 words in length) in a variety of genres.
The key to a winning pitch is that it is high-quality, daring excitement, but — above all — it must be an achievable goal for each of us, from revising to editing to promotion to publication and to promotion again.
Be realistic.
Do you feel up for it?
Do not pitch a series.
Do you have a completed draft of your manuscript?
No?
Turn back now.
Yes?
You may continue.
Do you still feel up for it?
Good.
This is a test.
You are encouraged to come to this well-prepared.
Consider gaining experience and levelling up before you continue.
If you’re still here, you’re doing well.
MERCANARY™ approves.
What Problematic Press Wants
Problematic Press is only interested in pitches for hitherto unpublished anywhere original works of literature, and we are happy to consider such original works that fall within or near the following areas:
💥 substantial poetry (as in a collection of poems, a lengthy narrative poem, an epic, etc.);
💥 literary short fiction collections;
💥 sci-fi and fantasy short fiction collections;
💥 genre-bending short fiction collections;
💥 literary novellas;
💥 sci-fi and fantasy novellas;
💥 wuxia action novellas;
💥 retro-present novellas;
💥 retro-future novellas;
💥 pulp-styled space operas as novellas;
💥 cyber-noir detective novellas;
💥 kaiju conflict novellas;
💥 fit-to-print erotic novellas;
💥 genre-bending novellas;
💥 and, high seas adventure novellas.
Remember: do not pitch a series. Check yourself before you wreck yourself, right?
Before completing the submission form linked below, take the time to collect your materials and make this the best pitch that you can muster.
Touch up that draft you have there, think about how to best frame your pitch, dream of the writerly life, and then update your resume (or C.V.).
Your courage has brought you this far. If you feel brave enough to take the next step, then follow the link and scroll past the familiar to find The Form of Your Submission.
Either way, Problematic Press appreciates your interest and wishes you the best of luck with your writing adventure!
And, if you miss us at the market – fear not! – you can find many of our works in print and Kindle editions, available on Amazon‘s many websites. Plus, you can find other ebook formats of our books at Smashwords.
Readers and writers on the Avalon Peninsula (that’s in Newfoundland, a magical place), take note: Sci-Fi on the Rock 9 will be hosting an assortment of reading, writing, and publishing workshops that you just might have to see for yourself!
Sci-Fi on the Rock’s ninth instalment takes place from April 24th to 26th at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s. Mark off those dates on your calendar because you’re in for a treat, and read on to get a brief preview of some of the upcoming discussions and workshops.
As the convention begins, Engen Books presents some of the first writerly workshops that will get your attention. Engen returns to SFotR9 with “The Most Dysfunctional Writing Panel Ever: A Convention Tradition,” featuring Ellen Curtis and other authors. This panel promises to be so dysfunctional they’re presenting it twice – April 24th at 4pm in the Nimoy Room and April 25th at 9am in the Tolkien Room. Engen Books really knows how to represent at Newfoundland’s premier convention, and so they’re presenting another panel on the 25th at 10am in the Nimoy Room, titled “Engen Early Bird Panel: Wake Up Your Literary Side.” These talks will provide attendees with ample opportunity to address their questions about writing in various genres.
Events at the convention target a broad age range, too. Shelley Chruchill presents “Wee Geeks Storytime” on April 25th at 11am in the Tolkien Room, which is sure to entertain the convention’s youngest readers. However, if you crave more adult flavours, then perhaps you can sate that hunger with Chelsea Smith and Janielle Butt’s “WTF Fanfiction: The Most Cringe-Worthy Stories of our Time,” which is set for April 24th at 8pm in the Roddenberry Room. Again, SFotR9 has a little something for just about every geeky niche.
This is just a sample of the convention’s events; there is much more in the works, so be sure to check it out for yourself when the time comes. You can find more details about all of their discussions and workshops by viewing the full schedule here. Plus, the convention also promises special guests and plenty of vendors, so prepare to get your geek on! For an idea of what to expect, click here to view NTV’s coverage of SFotR8.
This little nugget from the past is lovingly illustrated by Myles Reichel. Yes, the same Myles Reichel of Uneeda fame. You might also find him at Von Stytch Tattoo & Art Studio/Gallery. This work showcases the gentler side of the punker tattooist, and his work here looks fantastic!
The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story also includes Sir George Webbe Dasent’s translation of the Norwegian classic. This is the popular tale of the Gruffs’ encounter with a terrible troll, but here, read together with Reynolds’ reinterpretation, it reinforces the message that there are often two sides to a story.
That’s right! It’s been more than 125 years since A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder was first published, and now Problematic Press is pleased to present this annotated edition of James De Mille‘s classic masterpiece. This book is now available in print and Kindle editions! Find your copy in the Problematic Press Shops (CAN and US).
While playing a silly game, four bored yachtsmen find a mysterious copper cylinder bobbing along the sea. They soon discover the briny cylinder contains a massive script, a journal of sorts, detailing the adventures of Adam More, a sailor lost at sea. Examining the script reveals More’s incredible story of drifting across the ocean, sailing to lost lands, encountering giant beasts, and meeting truly peculiar people. This satirical tale is sure to entertain!
De Mille was a Canadian scholar and author. He pioneered Canadian science fiction and fantasy with his masterpiece, A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder. De Mille had many lofty goals for his fantastic satire, and he struggled to accommodate all of them, leaving the denouement somewhat abrupt in his ultimate manuscript. Nevertheless, what remains is a thought-provoking tale of absurd wonder that seeks to challenge our most deeply held values. The story was first published posthumously as a serial by Harper’s Weekly in 1888, eight years after the author’s death.
The Problematic Press edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder features a Foreword and Annotations by David Reynolds. Reynolds briefly introduces the author and the novel while his end notes reflect on interesting elements of the text and reference scholarly works.
De Mille’s satirical tale of wonder has entertained readers for many years, yet the work has remained largely overlooked. For that very reason, Problematic Press is tremendously excited to add this work to our growing collection of titles!
There’s quite a bit happening at Problematic Press right now, although I know things have seemed quiet over the winter months. And, we’ve had five months of winter in Newfoundland this season.
But, things are happening, so let me tease a little of that now.
First of all, we’re bringing you Nicholas Morine‘s Cavern: City in the Dark. This is Morine’s second novel. His first novel, Punish the Wicked: A Dystopian Horror, was just released by Montag Press. Cavern also features an illustration by Jesse H. Walker. The novel is full of action and sure to thrill!
Next, we’re presenting a children’s story written by David Reynolds when he was 11 years old. The True Story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff: The Troll’s Side of the Story is currently being illustrated by Myles Reichel of Uneeda fame, and it looks fantastic! The teaser pic here does not do his work justice.
Finally, work continues on our annotated edition of James De Mille’s A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder.
And, the best news of all is that each of these titles will be available in the coming weeks! Stay tuned here for updates, and look for the Problematic Press table at Sci-Fi on the Rock 8!
Problematic Press is pleased to announce the addition of Amanda Tiller’s Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story: The Lockean Tristram Shandy and the Modern Novel to our growing catalogue of books!
The book is based on Tiller’s research as a graduate student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her studies focused on Laurence Sterne‘s novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1760). Besides the entertainment value of Sterne’s novel, it is also remarkable because Shandy narrates the tale as a string of digressions and tangents. This makes Sterne’s one of the first English novels to stray from Aristotle‘s classical literary guidelines as presented in his Poetics. In Narrative, Nature, and the ‘Cock’ and ‘Bull’ Story, Tiller applies concepts from John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding to explore how this deviation leads Tristram, in the series of events stemming from his birth, to a more precise imitation of nature than strict adherence to Aristotle’s guidelines could have procured.
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