Generation Wonder

5/15/2022

Generation Wonder

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So we're just a few weeks away from the release of Generation Wonder, an anthology by some of the best superhero writers in the game right now (and, well, me, but I'm just happy to be here). The publisher is running a Goodreads giveaway this month for ten copies - if you're so inclined, here's a link to participate: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/345568-generation-wonder-the-new-age-of-heroes

I've got a few author copies in-hand already and it's beautiful. I can't believe one of my stories is illustrated by the incredible Colleen Doran. (You can spot the lead character from my own story, "My Life as a Houseplant," at the bottom of the cover art.)

And yes, my story DOES take place in the Indestructiverse. It's not required reading for the main series, but there's some easter eggs in there for long-time readers of the series you may enjoy. Check it out!

3 Comments

Michael Kelley

5/16/2022 01:45:00 am

I used to follow Jim Butcher and he said on more than one occasion that short stories are harder to write and the author gets less return for it than an equivalent number of words in a novel. If that is the case why do authors write them? From my position (of ignorance)I can only assume it is as a way to get your work in front of new readers and hope that they like it. If that is the case does it work? If it isn't the case then why do it?

I have read a few anthologies and I honestly can't recall ever buying a new book because of them. I buy them because an author I follow is writing a story in the "universe" I follow and I like the extra little bits I can get that way. The issue with the other stories in the anthology is that those authors are writing for their existing fanbase too. And I don't have the background in their universe to appreciate what they are writing.

I don't know why I wrote all of this. Just one assholes opinion I guess. Hope the anthology does well for you.

Matthew Phillion

5/16/2022 02:22:31 am

Butcher's not wrong - short stories are a very hard sell. Not a lot of opportunities to sell them and the ROI is lower than a novel if you do get a deal. If you're lucky though, they can be a way to get your work in front of new potential readers. In this case, I was invited to participate by one of my favorite people in the industry (Barry Lyga, amazing dude), and it gave me the chance to have my work illustrated by one of my favorite artists (Colleen Doran - I've been a fan so long that when I learned she was illustrating the book I got dizzy) and my name will appear alongside a really great group of people.

I've thought about pulling all the e-book-only Indestructibles shorts into a print collected edition at some point, but that would be a thank-you to the readers who want a hardcopy since the digital versions have been around for a while and I think most people who want 'em already have 'em. I absolutely love short stories though. Neil Gaiman's collections and William Gibson's Burning Chrome are some of my favorite re-reads. But on the whole the industry doesn't love anthologies anymore, but it's a shame, because there's a craft to writing micro-stories not everyone has anymore. It's not a format that draws in a lot of new readers, which makes me sad. Some of Stephen King's or Clive Barker's best work is in their short stories.

Ryan Pugh link

10/6/2022 01:15:19 pm

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About the author

Matthew Phillion is the author of the Indestructibles YA novel series, its spinoff Echo and the Sea, and the Dungeon Crawlers series of RPG-style novellas.

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