The purpose of FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology is to offer a unique new online venue for young adult short stories, with a commitment to showcasing underrepresented voices, boosting emerging writers, and highlighting the beauty and power of YA fiction. Each month for the year of 2019, we will publish a new issue featuring three stellar YA stories. Among these will be original work from acclaimed writers, plus brand-new voices you haven’t heard from before who have been specially selected by your favorite authors.

Everything will be published on our website to be read for free by anyone in the world.

As foreshadowing in storytelling is a way of imagining and prefiguring what’s to come, we hope that the new writers you’ll discover in our serial anthology will be authors whose books you’ll covet tomorrow. We are especially committed to finding stories by marginalized voices new to YA and will be actively working on outreach, hoping to contribute to the changing landscape of young adult publishing to become more inclusive and diverse.

TL;DR: We're aiming to launch a project that shows by example how diverse the publishing industry can be, from the staff behind the curtain to the talented writers being published.

We worked hard to push this issue live so that you could get an idea of what to expect. The rest of the project will launch in January. We'll publish a new issue every month until the end of 2019, completing the anthology with Issue 12.

WE WANT TO PAY EVERYONE

Too often, creatives are told that they have to give away their work for free when they're in the beginning stages of building their careers. This is especially true of art that is shared on the internet.

We call BS. Our priority is to pay the authors being published for the first time just as much money as the rockstar authors whose names you already know. And we hope to raise even more than we need for that, so that we can also give our amazing volunteer staff honorariums to thank them for their amazing work.

Remember the part of the project where we have some of your favorite authors judging and selecting our brand-new voices? We're offering those authors honorariums to thank them for their time, so we need money for that, too.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

Aside from paying contributors, there are many hidden costs behind this project, including website hosting and security, marketing and advertising, legal consultation, photography, taxes on whatever amount we raise, and other operation costs—the list goes on.

We're setting a campaign goal of $16,000, but if we're being honest, we would love to raise way more than that. We'd love to be able to pay authors an amount that's competitive with the compensation they would receive for inclusion in a collection published by a major house. And we'd be thrilled to be able to give our volunteer staff members honorariums that make a bigger statement.

If the amount seems high, remember that we're making it free for anyone with internet access to read these stories. We don't have a paywall or saleable item to help balance costs.

We'd be grateful to receive any amount. To thank you for your contribution, we have some amazing gifts lined up on the right side of this page—be sure to check them out!

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

Can't contribute, but want to support us? Please spread the word about our fundraising campaign!

And tell your friends and communities of writers to polish up their young adult short stories and submit to us. We want to read their work!
 

WHO ARE WE?

Two New York Times bestselling YA authors—and an amazing team of 25 others—are behind this project! The co-creators and co-editors-in-chief of FORESHADOW: A Serial YA Anthology are Emily X.R. Pan (author of The Astonishing Color of After, and previously the founding editor-in-chief of Bodega Magazine) and Nova Ren Suma (author of The Walls Around Us, and faculty member at VCFA).

We both hold MFA degrees, during which time we worked behind-the-scenes on traditional print literary journals—and both our first publications were short stories in such magazines. Now, with FORESHADOW, we hope to offer an opportunity like that to new writers in the YA field. You can find out more about us and our amazing volunteer staff of editors, readers, and more on our website.

YOU SHOULD SUBMIT A STORY

Short stories are an amazing way to pin down the characters and peaks of something that could eventually become something longer. Challenge yourself to tell the full arc of a story in a short piece as a way to sharpen those storytelling skills—and then send it to us. We want to read your work!

Plus, did you know that it's common for literary agents to read short stories in order to scout out new talent? There are many writers who found representation because of their short work before they had the chance to finish a novel. A lot of agents are already following FORESHADOW—we hope we'll help them find new clients.

Check out our submission guidelines by clicking here. We are actively looking for new stories, and our next deadlines are September 1st and November 1st. Add them to your calendar!

Help us reach our stretch goal—just $8000 more! If our Indiegogo campaign can hit a total of $24,000 by September 15th, we will:

— Publish a bonus issue of FORESHADOW that's comprised of ALL New Voices.
— Be able to pay all our contributors a more competitive rate.
— Be able to pay all our staff members an honorarium.
— Offer a program to mentor THREE marginalized people who are interested in working in publishing and don't have any experience yet.

We're extra excited about that last point: Both Emily and Nova have backgrounds working for Big Five publishers. Behind the curtain, FORESHADOW is structured like a hybrid between a publisher and a magazine, and these mentees would have the opportunity to do a deep dive into seeing how each department works.

We want to thank you for your support! Below are some additional details on what we're offering. (There are also some details that will appear when you click on one of the perks on the right.)

SWAG:

These die-cut FORESHADOW stickers are 4.3"x3" and made with a laminate finish to protect them from weather and scratching.

This 1.25 inch enamel pin is our shout to the world. These are die struck iron pins, with a black rubber clutch on the back of each one for security and comfort.

The spiral bound notebook is 5"x7" with a plastic cover and ruled pages...and exactly the thing you should use for drafting the short story you'll send to FORESHADOW!

FORESHADOW's official tote bag is a 100% cotton canvas tote with gusseted sides and 22-inch handles. The dimensions: 10.5" x 14" x 5". Sturdy and stylish—perfect for carrying your favorite books.

BOOK BUNDLES:

Each GRAB BAG bundle of books that we're offering is different. We won't ruin the surprise and tell you what's in each tote, but we do want to thank the authors who donated titles in order to make these rewards possible:

Arvin Ahmadi (@arvinahmadi)
Samira Ahmed (@sam_aye_ahm)
Alison Cherry (@alison_cherry)
Dhonielle Clayton (@brownbookworm)
Brandy Colbert (@brandycolbert)
Julie Dao (@jules_writes)
Kelly Loy Gilbert (@KellyLoyGilbert)
Sara Holland (@Sara__Holland)
Tiffany Jackson (@WriteinBK)
Stephanie Kuehn (@stephkuehn)
Justine Larbalestier (@JustineLavaworm)
Stacey Lee (@staceyleeauthor)
Claire Legrand (@clairelegrand)
Malinda Lo (@malindalo)
Samantha Mabry (@samanthamabry)
Karen McManus (@writerkmc)
Saundra Mitchell (@SaundraMitchell)
Mark Oshiro (@MarkDoesStuff)
Farrah Penn (@FarrahPenn)
Amy Reed (@amyreedfiction)
Randy Ribay (@randyribay)
Anica Mrose Rissi (@anicarissi)
Lilliam Rivera (@lilliamr)
Aisha Saeed (@aishacs)
Laura Sebastian (@sebastian_lk)
Adam Silvera (@AdamSilvera)
Sarah Nicole Smetana (@SarahNSmetana)
Cynthia Leitich Smith (@CynLeitichSmith)
Jessica Spotswood (@jessica_shea)
Courtney Summers (@courtney_s)
Ashley Woodfolk (@AshWrites)

We're also grateful to the following publishers and agencies for supporting FORESHADOW by offering their books for our campaign rewards:

Algonquin Young Readers (@AlgonquinYR)
Barry Goldblatt Literary (@barrygoldblatt)
Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency (@@AgentZacker
Greenwillow Books (@GreenwillowBook)
HarperCollins (@EpicReads)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (@HMHteen)
ICM Partners (@ICMPartners_)
Janklow & Nesbit (@JanklowNesbit)
Katherine Tegen Books (@KTegenBooks)
Little, Brown (@TheNovl)
Page Street Publishing (@PageStreetKids)
Penguin (@PenguinTeen)
Root Literary (@rootliterary)

CALLS:

We're lucky that so many brilliant people from the publishing industry have donated their time in support of FORESHADOW.

The way it'll work: You pick the type of call you want, and then AFTER you've done that, you fill out the respective form to submit your preferences. We'll have you rank the agents/editors you want to speak to in order of greatest priority, and then we'll consider each entry on a first-come, first-served basis. Is there an agent or editor you're dying to speak to? Don't waste any time—grab that perk and submit that form now!

The agents offering QUERY CRITIQUE calls:

Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties (@saraagent)
Tina Dubois at ICM Partners (@TinaDuboisNY)
Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (@JimMcCarthy528)
Beth Phelan at Gallt & Zacker (@beth_phelan)
Brooks Sherman at Janklow & Nesbit Associates (@byobrooks)
Eric Smith at P.S. Literary (@ericsmithrocks)
DongWon Song at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (@dongwon)
Lauren Spieller at Triada US (@laurenspieller)
Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch (@agentsaba)
Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary (@sztownsend81)

Fill out this form AFTER you've paid for your perk to rank your preferences for the above agents.

The agents offering PICK-THEIR-BRAIN calls:

(Note that these are only phone calls for you to ask questions; agents are not reading your work or offering critiques. Call will be scheduled at a date mutually agreed upon by both parties, and content of the call will be at the discretion of the agent.)

Lauren Abramo at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (@LaurenAbramo)
Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret (@MichaelBourret)
Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker (@LindaRandom)
Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary (@barrygoldblatt)
Wendi Gu at Janklow & Nesbit Associates (@WendiLuluGu)
Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary (@tayhaggerty)
Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary (@thejordache)
Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency (@LitAgentMarini)
Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management (@precociouspenny)
Elana Roth Parker at Laura Dail Literary (@ElanaRoth)
Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary (@JoSVolpe)
Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker (@AgentZacker)

Fill out this form AFTER you've paid for your perk to rank your preferences for the above agents.

The editors offering PICK-THEIR-BRAIN calls:

(Note that these are only phone calls for you to ask questions; editors are not reading your work or offering critiques. Call will be scheduled at a date mutually agreed upon by both parties, and content of the call will be at the discretion of the editor.)

Sarah Alpert, Assistant Editor at Algonquin (@obliquelysarah)
Jenny Bak, Editorial Director at JIMMY Patterson Books (@jbak88)
Sarah Barley, Editorial Director at Flatiron Books (@the_SDB)
Kamilla Benko, Senior Editor & Brand Manager at Bloomsbury (@kkbenko)
Jordan Brown, Executive Editor at Balzer+Bray (@thisjordanbrown)
Patrice Caldwell, Associate Editor at Disney-Hyperion (@whimsicallyours)
Joanna Cardenas, Editor at Kokila (@joannananamc)
Karen Chaplin, Senior Editor at HarperCollins (@CapChapReads)
Nikki Garcia, Associate Editor at Little, Brown (@NikMarieGarcia)
Brian Geffen, Editor at Henry Holt (@Brian_Geffen)
Marissa Grossman, Editor at Razorbill (@marissagrossman)
Katherine Harrison, Editor at Knopf (@kidlitkat)
Andrew Karre, Executive Editor at Dutton (@andrewkarre) — 2 calls!
Vicki Lame, Editor at St. Martin's Press (@thedaysbetween)
Maggie Lehrman, Executive Editor at Abrams (@maggielehrman)
Tiffany Liao, Editor at Henry Holt (@Tiff_Liao)
Krestyna Lypen, Editor at Algonquin Young Readers (@krestyna)
Kate Meltzer, Associate Editor at Putnam (@katemeltzer)
Martha Mihalick, Executive Editor at Greenwillow (@marthamihalick)
Matt Ringler, Senior Editor at Scholastic (@doesntmattr)
Julie Rosenberg, Editor at Razorbill (@Julie Rosenberg)
Stephanie Stein, Editor at HarperTeen (@stephlystein)
Jeffrey West, Assistant Editor at Scholastic (@JeffreyWest)

Fill out this form AFTER you've paid for your perk to rank your preferences for the above editors.

Don't forget to look at the other perks, too!

There are a few one-off items that we think are pretty special. Take a look by scrolling through the list on the right! Click on them to read more info—those descriptions should tell you everything you need to know.

Perks will be coordinated / fulfilled after we finish this fundraising campaign. Thanks for your patience!