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Palliata
08-10-2010, 11:21 PM
Firstly, hello Absolute Write members. I'm a writer and publisher going by the name of Palliata for this particular branch of my work. My website is going to be Unpublishable.com, though it is not launched as yet. My goal is to put together a couple dozen stories to have plenty of content at launch, which is where you come in.

The new website is going focused on articles of erotica which are considered unpublishable. I want the work that no one else wants, and I don't mind paying for it.


There has been a lot of discussion about the work that publishers refuse to consider and the reasons they might avoid it. There are basic guidelines which every publisher seems to take to heart, and they make sense in most circumstances. No scat, no watersports, no bestiality, nothing illegal to perform in real life, etc. When these things are designed to titillate, they tend to cross some lines and suddenly no one wants to read them.


Yet these are topics which need to be illuminated through real literature. The question then becomes, how can we do this while remaining high-brow and respectable? Well, it is my firm belief that good authors have that capacity. Many works of classic fiction have done it with dignity and artistry, and almost as important they have sold thousands upon thousands of copies. In the same breath, certain work is too artistic, too 'out there,' leaving it out in the cold as well, something which is in some sense an even greater tragedy.


To simplify all this, I want the artsy, the deep, the complex, the incomprehensible, and the taboo. My rules are simple and unrestrictive:


-Nothing illegal designed to titillate.
-No 'stroke stories' unless the work is very, very good. Send them in if you're extremely proud of them, but don't be disappointed if they don't make the cut.
-Nothing utterly artless


Apart from that, send in everything you think will fit my mold. No restrictions on sexuality (LGBTQ/Hetero). Short stories or flashers preferred, though I'm not going to oppose something longer if it's very impressive work. I would strongly prefer things not be published elsewhere now or ever, but as long as you have the rights to the work we may be able to work something out.



In the end, this is both a pet project and a new investment for me. I plan to make money, but more importantly I plan to truly advance the genre. Keep that in mind as you evaluate your own submissions.


In terms of payment, I'm planning to break out of the mold a little bit (restrain your shock) and work on a story-by-story basis. EDIT: Probably i'm thinking in the 10-25 USD range for now. If you have something in mind as to how much money you deserve for what you're doing, by all means send that along with your submission. I can't promise I'll agree, but more input is, as a rule, better.


If you have any questions, submissions, suggestions, or comments email me at Palliata.mail@com (reverse the . and @ to confuse the spambots)

veinglory
08-10-2010, 11:28 PM
I think your payment statement is a little vague--you might want to give some idea of a range.

But then I am having a little trouble thinking of what would consitiute well-written legal, non-stroke, artsy erotica that is unpublishable....

Palliata
08-10-2010, 11:39 PM
Well that's kind of in the eye of the beholder. I would post some of my own work as an example but that's a bit risky for obvious reasons. The easy way to do that would be to take the things which have proven unpublishable in your previous attempts because of content or approach (not quality), but then not everyone has done a lot of submitting so that may or may not work.

As an example, here is something from an author you are probably familiar with: http://mikekimera.blogspot.com/2006/10/traces-story-of-piece-i-cant-find-home.html

That would fall into the category of something too artsy for publication. I think the stuff which doesn't fit standard guidelines is probably self-explanatory, so I won't try to hunt down an example of that.

Payment has been edited into the original post. The price is a work in progress. This is a largely experimental venture so I'm basically working with the prices I'm used to getting for my own erotic work in a similar format.

veinglory
08-11-2010, 12:21 AM
Thanks for the clarification.