www.wiredtales.com - the brainchild of British author/illustrator David Ollerton, is up and running - and this one has legs.
The concept is as simple as it gets: The site publishes free short fiction online, across a range of genres including science fiction, literary, horror and detective stories. Giving a nod to the interactivity that the web allows, readers are able to vote for stories they like and the story with the least number of votes is replaced on the 1st and 15th of every month, along with updates to the serials. The ethos of the site is summarised best in the news section:
"What we are aiming for is this: the coolest, most exciting fiction around. Fiction that is intelligent, accessible, fun, provocative and which covers a range of genres. We want stories with strong plots, entertaining characters, and solid themes. "Don't be boring" could well be taken up as the battle cry of Wired tales. This is, after all, the 21st Century. In order to thrive as a dynamic art form, short fiction has to compete - and collaborate - with the other media, which include film, television, music, comic books and MTV."
Acting as a testing ground for both new and established authors, Wired tales plans to release its first collection in May, based on the most popular voted stories, via the print on demand service at lulu.com. In terms of revenue, 30% of profit earned through donations and publications is spent on the site itself, the remaining 70% is split equally between the authors published.
In the meantime, the site is growing and - according to David - should send out a clear message to publishers the world over;
"Start paying writers a reasonable share of the profits you earn from their work, or they'll start taking over the means of production…hell. Too late.
We just did."
http://www.wiredtales.com
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