For this month’s Behind the Zines interview I am thrilled to be talking to the fabulous Stephen Hunt from Inklings Press.
More about Stephen Hunt:
Stephen Hunt is a journalist, author, and editor, having worked in the newspaper industry for nearly 20 years. He is presently working in The Bahamas at The Tribune national newspaper. He is also one of the people behind Inklings Press.
More about Inklings Press:
Inklings Press is an indie publisher of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and other fiction by new writers. Their purpose is to provide new fantasy, science fiction, mystery and alternative history tales.
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Q. Tell us a bit about yourself. What’s your background,
where did you grow up, where are you now, and what do you do outside the world
of speculative fiction?
Hi Maria, thanks for inviting me to take part! I’m a bit of
driftwood. I was born in Northern Ireland, but we left there when I was a kid,
right in the heart of The Troubles. So I grew up as a bit of an outsider in
North-East England, a boy with a funny accent and a funny hair colour. Then a
little over a decade ago, I drifted across the Atlantic to where I live and
work in The Bahamas. I edit a newspaper here, and the rest of my time is spent
chasing round two kids and wondering with my wife where all the time in the day
went.
Q. Most people who are into speculative fiction seem to
have caught that bug early in their lives. What got you hooked on the
speculative fiction genre? What stories, books, movies, TV-shows, or something
else, lured you into that world?
I blame my mum! Or maybe my grandmother. My granny used to
take my mum with her to the cinema when she was a kid to go see horror movies –
which got my mum hooked. I grew up in a house full of books by James Herbert,
Stephen King, Alan Garner and more. And my mum did the same to me, but with the
small screen – keeping me up at night to watch Hammer Horror movies or Salem’s
Lot so she wasn’t left to watch them on her own. A nice line of maternal
terror passed along!
But the house was also filled with fantasy and sci-fi books
– I’m the youngest of five kids, so my eldest brother had lots of Anne
McCaffrey and Katherine Kurtz books, another brother got into D&D and Runequest
and brought me along for the ride, there were shelves with Asimov and Clarke,
Tolkien and Le Guin, and TV screens with Kirk and Spock, The Doctor and Quatermass,
Space 1999 and Buck Rogers.
I fell in, and I fell hard. I remember making my parents walk
me back out of the cinema backwards so I could see as many of the credits as
possible for the first Star Wars movie. I was that kind of nerdy fan.
These days, of course, the movie companies stick a scene at the end to get you
to stay…
Q. You’re one of the people behind Inklings Press, an
indie publisher that has published several anthologies (I’ve had stories in two
of them!). How did Inklings Press get started and what’s your goal or mission
statement?
We gotta get you back for a third! Submissions open now,
y’know…
Inklings started out as a bunch of friends on the internet
chatting about books. No, wait, let’s go a step further back. Back in the day
in the UK, there was a competitive gaming scene for a tabletop collectible
figures game called Heroclix. We’re talking little figures of Wolverine and
Batman, Superman and Thor, and the mightiest hero of all, Hawkeye. Over the
years, a bunch of us met up at tournaments, battled it out over the table, did
the whole “hey, let me add you on Facebook” thing, and had beers after the
gaming sessions.
Fast forward a few years and a whole lot of us have moved on
to different parts of the world – but still kept in touch on Facebook, and
chatted about various things, including for a few of us a mutual love of
writing. That became an encouragement to one another to do something with that
– and so we cheered each other on as we set about writing stories, shared
critiques and so on. Somewhere along the way we thought we should do something
with that – and so we decided to try self-publishing a book featuring the work
of some of the members of that group, which had extended to friends of friends
too. And that’s how the first book, Tales From The Tavern, a short,
five-story anthology of fantasy fiction, came about. We just figured, let’s try
it and see. And then we went back again for more. And more.
As time went on, we broadened out to accept submissions from
people who weren’t part of that group to the point where it’s now open to all.
As to our goal? Well, we just want to find good stories and
share them with readers who might enjoy them. We’ve done far better than we
might have expected at the start – we’ve published Sidewise Award winners twice
over for alternate history! And we’ve had authors want to join us in our anthologies
who we would never have thought would have been interested in little old us
when we started out.
It’s also been a genuine pleasure to offer a stepping stone
for new voices, including from some diverse backgrounds. It’s a real joy to see
how people have gone on to other things and we love to shout about others’
successes. Back when we first started, we kind of felt that there was no place
for us so we would make our own. We hope we have given a place for others along
the way.
Q. If you look back on your hopes and dreams when you
started out and compare it to where you’re at today… what are your thoughts on
that journey? What are some of the big, and maybe small, things you’ve learned?
What are some of your proudest accomplishments?
I think for me the biggest part of the journey has been
seeing fellow authors who didn’t feel they might ever get anything published
now be in a place where they have one, two, three, more books out there and
plans for further to come. It’s seeing that transition from asking “Could I do
this?” to “I am doing this.”
That’s been remarkable to see. I’m lagging behind compared
to others in that regard, but I absolutely cheer them on in everything they do.
I think we’ve learned to try and simplify the process over
time, because there’s only so much time in our days. We switched to payment on
publication, for example, so that’s resolved and done at the outset, and then
there’s deciding not to constantly chase down rabbit holes for the many, many
ways of promotion that are constantly pushed at you, many of which are not
terribly effective. That learning process of what does and what does not work
takes a bit of time when you’re new to it all. I think the biggest thing to
learn is just to be genuine. It’s easy to get swallowed up in the marketing
push all the time, but the biggest benefits come from genuine interactions with
people. And it’s nicer too.
As for accomplishments, I should absolutely hail the
Sidewise Awards. And I do. And I should absolutely sing out about getting
reviewed in Amazing Science Fiction. And I do. But my proudest accomplishment
is honestly any time we publish an author’s debut. That’s where I see the heart
of Inklings, particularly when it’s people from different countries or
backgrounds, saying hey, we hear your voice and we’d love to help it be heard
elsewhere.
Q. What are some of the best and some of the hardest
things about your work in publishing for Inklings Press? How does your team
work together? I think you’re all spread out all over the world, do you find that
to be a challenge or is the Internet enough to keep it all together?
The main crew consists of four of us – an Englishman in
Finland, an American in Japan, an Irishman (me) in The Bahamas and a Mexican
who is the only one in his home country these days. We’ve certainly shifted
around a lot. The internet has kept us together though my word it would be nice
for us to have a meet-up in person at some point. Last year we took the year
off as we had various life events happening, but now we’re stepping back into
the ring.
In terms of how it works, we chat on an almost daily basis
about all kinds of things – and then when we decide to go with a project, we
come up with a theme, set a deadline, and divide up tasks. Ricardo is our
graphic artist and cover designer, Brent and Rob tend to handle submissions and
first passes at edits. Then I hop in at the end and do final edits plus
compiling the book itself before hitting the big ol’ publish button. We also
divide up social media promotion. The biggest task though is mutual
encouragement, lifting one another up on hard days in life and in publishing,
and cheering on our successes.
Q. I know there’s a recurring discussion in the field
about the viability of speculative fiction zines and publishing houses, with a
lot of great venues disappearing and new ones starting up. What are your thoughts
on the viability of this as a business.
If your game plan is to make money, then there’s certainly
easier ways to make it! People will go buy a cup of coffee every day but ask
them to pay the same for a book and some will recoil at the idea.
We are lucky enough that we have between us the skills to
put together what we do, and don’t have to take on particularly large costs to
do so. That’s very much a privileged position to be in, and I’m very conscious
that not all people are as fortunate to be in that situation.
It’s hard to keep a venue running long-term. It’s a big-time
commitment from anyone in the process – from reading through the slush pile to
editing to marketing to publishing to to to… you know, it just keeps going. And
the price of the product at the end of that often is not enough to sustain
everyone through that process. So I completely understand the burnout that
comes with that, and the challenge to keep things afloat year on year,
sometimes with the marketplace doing the most unhelpful of things along the
way, such as Amazon recently changing the way it deals with subscriptions for
some long-running magazines, or concerns over Kickstarter as a platform for
fundraising, or Twitter becoming a place that I for one have stepped away from
as much as possible after its ownership change.
Of course, the ones most affected by this are the ones who
aren’t in a privileged position to begin with – and so that continues to count
against marginalised voices.
I will say there is a greater opportunity these days for
those voices to be initially heard thanks to the breadth of self-publishing and
small presses now – but sustaining those platforms I think is as difficult as
ever. Perhaps even more difficult. I salute those who keep a solid schedule of
publications coming month after month, year after year.
Q. You also run Altered Instinct, publishing a newsletter
/ zine. The first issue came out late last year, featuring interviews and
fiction. What has that experience been like for you and can we expect more issues
in the future?
That’s… a work in progress. Yes. More in the future. But a
job change kind of put things on hold while I work out where my free time fits
in around the new role. But yes. Yes yes yes.
Q. You’re also a fiction writer in your own right, and
you’re a journalist, working as managing editor of The Tribune in Nassau. Do
you feel like your various writing endeavors clash or do they inspire each
other? Is there something the fiction writer can learn from the journalist, and
vice versa?
I like to think that in the day job I tell truth to expose
lies, and in the night job I tell lies to expose truth. People can probably
make their own mind up which is which. I think there is a lot each side can learn
from the other. As a writer, I’m so used to having stories changed around and
edited in the news business that I’ve long lost my brittle edges about being
too precious perhaps about my words. I know things need to change around to
work better sometimes, and it’s not a slight upon my earlier drafts to do so.
As a journalist, you can get caught up in the rush to deadline sometimes – and
I can learn from the writing side to sometimes just take a step back and let a
story breathe so you know what to do with it better. In general, though, I
write about different things. My day job is full of horrible stories sometimes,
and so my writing lets my mind take flight to other places.
Q. How has your views of the business side of the
speculative fiction publishing industry changed since you’ve become more
involved behind the scenes vs. when you were “just” a writer? Have you gained
any insights you didn’t previously have?
I’ll steer clear of talking about traditional publishing as
I don’t really have any expertise there but when it comes to self-publishing
and small presses, I think I’d say always remember that one size never fits
all, and there are different ways of marketing that suit different styles of
publication. What works to market an eight-book series produced at speed may
not work at all for a single 120,000-word fantasy epic. There are many services
– and some publishers – who look to get money out of the hands of authors, so
being cautious and figuring out what works for you is always wise.
Q. For others who might be thinking about getting
involved with speculative fiction publishing in any capacity, what would you
say to them? Do you have any tips, advice, and/or warnings for new publishers?
I think I’d say do what you can and don’t overreach. Be aware that things crop
up in life and you need to have the room to deal with those things – so if you
stretch yourself to capacity, those life issues will push you over the top. So
pace yourself. Enjoy it. Love it. Adore the words you work with. Immerse
yourself in those dreams. But always have time to pack them away and live.
In more practical terms, spend your money where it gets you
the best results. Avoid scammers – and keep an eye on outlets such as Author
Beware so you’re know what to watch out for. Make sure your covers look
professional. Make sure you know what looking professional means. Don’t be
afraid of criticism, it helps sharpen your focus. In the same vein, don’t
publicly criticise reviewers – it’s not a good look. Show respect and a
professional manner, and people will react to you accordingly. Show your whole
ass in public, however, and don’t be surprised if people point at it. There are
frustrating days, and that’s what your closest friends’ DMs are for.
But to backtrack to what I said earlier, just be genuine. Do
it because you love it, and love it because you do it.
Q. Like me, you’re one of those people who have moved
across the world, living quite far away from where you were born and grew up.
How has that experience influenced you as a writer, and as a publisher?
Honestly, it can be hard. I was three when I first moved to
a country that wasn’t my own – England is close to Ireland, but I was reminded
every day that it was not. Particularly in the 70s, when I would be called
Paddy rather than my real name, or have people shout “IRA” at me, call me
stupid because of being Irish, or be punched or kicked for where I came from.
So I’ve been an outsider since I can remember existing.
On occasions we’d go back to Ireland, it wasn’t home either
by then – I was the boy coming back from England. So uprooting from the UK and
coming to The Bahamas a dozen years ago now was not the major upheaval it might
have been – but only because I was often left to feel as if I didn’t belong in
the first place. Like I say, I’m driftwood, and I’ve washed up on these shores
now.
How that affects me as a writer? Well, it’s hard to say what
culture is my own. I’m not Irish enough to be an Irish writer. I’m not Bahamian
so I can’t claim that either. Regularly being told I didn’t belong as I grew up
suggests that for many I can’t count on being an English writer. So where am I?
What are the stories that belong to me? So I gather the driftwood around me and
tell the tales that find their way to me.
As a publisher, I’m very conscious there are large sections
of the world whose tales are not given a chance to be told. I love when those
tales come our way. I would love that to be more the case. But I’m also
conscious that for some of those I shouldn’t be involved in the process of the telling.
Q. As I mentioned before, you’re also a writer. What’s up
next for you as a fiction writer? And what’s up next for Inklings Press?
I’ll start with Inklings Press as that’s more imminent – we
have submissions open right now for an anthology of mystery stories, but in
other genres. Only Murders in the Genre as we’ve nicknamed it, but think
sleuths in spacesuits, wizards and wiseguys, whatdunnits instead of whodunnits
and more. That’s our comeback anthology after our year off. We’re also talking
other plans, including maybe novellas. Maybe.
As for me, I so very much need to catch up with Inklings
writers who have gone before me and get a novel out there. But will start with
my own collection of short stories gathering up tales that have landed here,
there and elsewhere over the years. The very first thing I published was a
collection called Quartet to test out the publishing process on Amazon, and
this feels like a return to that moment to draw a line over what I’ve done so
far, ready to make the leap to the next part of the journey.
Just, y’know, give me some of that elusive time in the day…
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Huge thanks to Stephen for this interview!
- Stephen
Hunt at Altered
Instinct
- Inklings
Press
About Behind the Zines:
In this interview series, I talk to people working behind
the scenes at various speculative fiction publications. My goal is to
highlight the work that goes into keeping these publications alive, and to
share insights from the people doing that work. Each interview is available
exclusively on my Patreon for one week, and is then posted here at Maria's
Reading.
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If you want to support my work, check out my Patreon or Ko-Fi.
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