Good Night, Sweet Press

I used her, she used me but neither one cared

We were gettin' our share

– Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

To Wicked Shadow Press and Culture Cult,

/Pulp Cult, never really figured out the difference there...

In the world of short stories, the great prize is that first publication after you've spent hours drafting, rewriting, editing, and proofreading down to the finest comma.

But when that day finally comes and you stand triumphant atop the hill, there is always a lingering doubt. All stemming from a single question:

Is that really as far as my story can go?

Now, it's important to acknowledge that to even reach this hill is beating the odds. Still, for all the hours of toil, who could blame an author for wanting to get that labor of love in front of as many eyes as possible?

Can't I, you know, publish it again? we ask.

Enter the reprint market.

Now I don't need to define a reprint for you. After all, you take them. But for your children and grandchildren who might come across this text after it has evolved from letter to cherished family heirloom, a refresher:

And it's the fact you both understood and welcomed these previously published stories that brought our paths together.

For, you see, your pay level would have otherwise been greeted with a laugh before I moved on down the submission opportunity list. Yes, my friend, it has been a long time since I considered publishing a story for free.

Er, present site excluded, of course.

But, an opportunity to publish a story I've already been paid for? To get my work in front of more people? Now we can do business.

And, oh, did we do business.

Fitting I should pen this (belated) letter of gratitude on Vocal of all places. After all, you and your imprints have almost certainly printed more of my challenge losers and forgotten gems from this platform than anyone else.

(Followed closely by Dragon Soul Press, so if publishing my reprints from Vocal is an indicator of coming closure, perhaps I should follow up on that royalty check...)

I wanted more mileage for my stories. To give them new life outside of this site and their original—usually unfulfilled—purpose.

You wanted content to fill out your anthologies. High-quality content. All while not paying for it.

You, of course, had to dress up the truth a bit in your submission guidelines:

We consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are absolutely exceptional.

For my part, I acted like I didn't already know the outcome:

Gee, I really hope this reprint makes the cut.

Meanwhile, we both knew this was all theater. We may as well have winked to each other.

And the transactional system worked. Hence that song lyric I included at the start. We both knew what the other was doing, and we both used this arrangement to achieve our own ends. We both left satisfied.

Perhaps I'm being cynical. Maybe all seven of my stories you re-published over the course of the past year truly were exceptional.

Either way, the system worked.

But now you're going away, and though I have at least one more story* publishing with you before the end, I now realize that perhaps I took you for granted.

*likely two unless, you know, history doesn't repeat itself for the first time ever.

No, not enough to buy the books, sorry. Make your money off the other authors who haven't yet realized that's another part of the game. Especially those poor saps who just gave away first publish rights to their story for nothing.

Whoops, I mean, for valuable exposure (😉).

Still, thanks to the free e-books you distributed, I have at least been able to appreciate the awesome art you created to accompany each story of mine.

Let's appreciate each in turn.

King of the World

My first-ever story on Vocal. My first-ever challenge loss. And an absolutely accurate portrayal of the protagonist traversing the post-apocalyptic wastes (sans her rifle):

The Final Two Minutes

Two nuclear silo officers ready their missile for launch. Absolute perfection from your designer here to capture the bunker and the atmosphere:

The Light Station

My humble attempt to finish the unfinished story "The Lighthouse" by Edgar Allan Poe. To be honest, not my favorite story art from your side, but mostly because lighthouses do not have catwalks on every floor. Just the top.

Still, the kickass summary makes up for it:

Lurking Shadows

Another early Vocal story. Another challenge loser. And another piece of art that absolutely nails the subject matter (a police officer is stalked during the graveyard shift each night by a hulking shadow with burning orange eyes ). A full-page spread, no less:

In Him, We Know Freedom

A rare non-challenge loser. A Runner Up, but still! And doubly rare, this issue was in full color:

Reaching from the Silence

Triple rarity: two stories in the same issue!

The Precipice

I saved the best for last. My absolute favorite artwork you've ever done. Hell, probably my favorite artwork any press I've worked with has done. It's cinematic perfection and absolutely faithful to the source material.

To the point I wish I could steal this visual for the cover of the novella I plan to turn this story and the other Tales of Ezok into:

A Final Tribute

But now our time together is drawing to a close. Who knows, maybe you go out in a blaze of glory and we get some absolute bangers in Haunted Haus (confirmed story) and Wreckollections (tentative). Even if you choose to take it easy and fade into the sunset, just know that your legacy will live on each time I come back to these amazing works of art.

And if you see any resemblance between the final graphic above and the eventual cover of Ezok and the Whispering Wood: A Forest Tale, you can let out a contented sigh knowing your work had a greater impact on the literary world beyond these collections.

Until that day, let us join a fellow Stephen in paying tribute to the fallen:

Good night, sweet press.

P.S. Yes, Vocalists, I know this is too late for the Letters of Gratitude challenge. Turns out the fine folks this is addressed to don't sync their news cycle to the machinations of the Vocal shadow council. Oh, well, it was still fun to write this and revisit all this great art. Take it from me: not a lot of journals/presses go this hard on the visuals. It will be missed.