The Storyletter's 2nd Anniversary

Where we've been and where we plan to go

Hey there, this is Winston. You’ve been brought aboard the Storyletter XPress because I have a special announcement. Today marks a significant milestone for us – it’s our second anniversary!

This journey, filled with unique stories, interactions, and experiences, would not have been the same without you. In the past two years, we’ve explored new avenues of storytelling and met talented writers of all types. I’m reviewing the July 2022-2023 timeframe for this update. However, check out the first-year anniversary post for details on how we started.

What was once The Storyletter, a newsletter delivering free fiction, has become Storyletter XPress Publishing, a small press helping indies get to print. We still deliver free stories, but our commitment to independent writers is even stronger.

Last summer, we held the S6 Contest (Storyletter Substack Short Story Summer Sweepstakes) and provided $200 in cash prizes. The top stories were published after providing the authors with complimentary edits and feedback. This was a valuable learning experience, one that I wrote about in To Build a Contest.

There are 51 original stories available for free. We published 16 new and original pieces this past year, 6 from indie authors compensated for their work. I want to highlight them as they are among the highest-rated posts:

• The Watch by

  Cameron Scott
  - a psychological mystery featuring the pitfalls of obsession and family trauma.

• The Fuller by

  J.M. Elliott
  - a historical fiction piece featuring Aristeas, a semi-legendary Greek poet who is assumed to have penned a poem called Arimaspeia.

• Mountain Talk by

  Shaina Read
  - a horror story in the mountains of Tennessee, where a camping trip takes a wrong turn, and appearances become deceiving.

• Abaddon’s Portrait of a Lonesome Shore by James Castor - a mystery thriller about a man on the run along the California coast and a shadowy past that he can’t shake.

• Summer in Antarctica by Brylle Gaviola - a mystery science fiction story about a man who makes up in a futuristic Antarctica with no memory of how he got there.

• The Summer Light by

  M. S. Arthadian
  - a science fiction story featuring people enslaved in utter darkness with the belief that one day escape will be possible and that hope is the light that will dispel the darkness.

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The community of writers on Substack continues to be my favorite aspect of the platform. Last year, we started “Storyletter Interviews” and explored the minds of 9 incredible creators:

• C.R. Langille - Founder of Timber Ghost Press

• Elle Griffin - Creator of The Elysian

• Daniel W. Davison - Creator of Lamp Post in the Marsh

• M.S. Arthadian - Creator of Arthadian Anthologies and Reborn in Power

• J.M. Elliott - Creator of The Problematic Pen and The Library

• Shifra Steinberg - Creator of Absurdus

• Brian Reindel - Creator of Future Thief and Lunar Awards

• Jackie Dana - Creator of Story Cauldron, Fictionistas, and Unseen St. Louis

• David V. Stewart - Independent speculative fiction author

We published several non-fiction essays that were met with great interest and provoked much discussion.

Brian Reindel 👾⚔️

wrote a wonderful guide to self-publishing on Amazon KDP,

Chris Deliso

published an essay about taking your time with the revision process, and I had one about chasing your dreams no matter how crazy they sound.

The Storyletter Meet & Greet continues to be a community favorite. If you’d like to check out previous introductions and get to know the Storyletter audience, consider checking out our September, January, and April events.

The Storyletter hosted two prompts, generating 13 original fiction pieces. The two events were “Flip a Common Trope” and “Exploring the Unknown.” I highly recommend checking them out. Here is the list of stories published by Substack authors in response to these prompts:

• Books Like White Elephants by Adrian Conway

• Isenhart by J.M. Elliott

• Chosen One by Elly

• Mountain Talk by Shaina Read

• Boldly Going by Elly

• Street Scene Before the Miracle by Chris Deliso

• The Derelict by Leigh Parrish

• Legion AI by Adrian P Conway

• The Day I Burned by Shaina Read

• An Unknown by H.W. Taylor

• The Canyon by Victor D. Sandiego

• Beneath a Darkened Reef by John Coon

• Raising Rocabarra by Dan Blakely

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We joined forces with The Library to embrace our commitment to platforming independent writers. J.M. Elliott is doing great things for indie authors, and I hope it continues to be a success for her and all of us indies. There are nearly 100 books archived in The Library! If you’d like to check it out, add your book, and subscribe for periodic updates on what’s available, here is the link.

We partnered with Coffee Brand Coffee to bring you quality coffee with no gimmicks. Whenever you use our referral link to purchase, you contribute 10% of your order to Storyletter XPress Publishing. Also, when you use code STORIES5, you get 5% off your entire order. This has been a surprisingly wonderful partnership, and I hope everyone is enjoying their coffee.

I published my first book, The Weight of the World. Most of the book’s stories were first published here on Substack, later revised and re-formatted. The book has a few exclusives, including Chapter 4 of The Raptorverse. I learned a ton through publication and intend to share that with you. The book is currently available in print on Amazon, while the only way to get the ebook is by becoming an XPress member.

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The Road Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, it’s also time to look forward. There are big dreams for the next year, with new features and topics to explore. Major updates will be implemented and improved upon, with several books for Storyletter XPress Publishing members in the works.

• The “To Build” series will continue as a monthly paid subscriber benefit. These XPress Access posts will be expanded and organized into a book included in the paid subscription for download—more details to come.

• The Anthology is the next project on the docket. With 11 stories and poems currently included, we aim to open a submission window for the remaining 20 entries. This will replace the S6 Contest with a more rewarding outcome for indie writers seeking to get published. Launch was delayed, but an update will go out soon!

• The Storyletter Gift Shop will be a larger focus in the next year. I will add more merchandise and promote it on social media. I need to make it profitable over the next year or shutter it due to the operating costs.

• Interviews and showcases are being revamped, with XPress members getting priority. If you’re an XPress member and haven’t been interviewed, expect an email soon.

• Increased attention to non-fiction will likely occur in 2023. If you’d like to publish a non-fiction article or essay for the SXP audience, contact me at storyletter@protonmail.com.

As we begin the next chapter of our journey, I’d love to hear from you. What have you enjoyed the most over the past two years? What would you like to see more of in the future? Your input is invaluable in shaping our path forward. If you’d like to provide direct feedback, here is the link to our survey, or comment below.

I want to express my profound gratitude to every subscriber, for your continued interest and support, to every comment, for enriching our discussions with your insights, and to every recommendation, for helping our community grow.

Your feedback, enthusiasm, and engagement have not only shaped Storyletter XPress Publishing but have also had a significant impact on me as a writer. Here’s to another year of exploration, engagement, and growth. Thank you for being part of this journey. Let’s continue this wonderful adventure together, one story at a time.

With heartfelt thanks,

Winston Malone