Wintry Monsters Press

So, today I received the second proof of RISE ABOVE that reflected a bunch of fixes and edits made after the first proof I received last week. This test proved to be the final version that will be going into publication in less than a week.

Let’s break down the differences:
1. The main image of the front cover is shrunken, featuring more birds and distressed spotting.
2. The front cover now includes a list of the authors included in short fiction and previews.
3. The bottom right corner of the front cover now says RISE ABOVE is #0 April 2023.
4. The top of the front cover now notes this as WINTRY MONSTERS PRESS MAGAZINE! Yes…this returned to a magazine labeling because I am very much moving forward with releasing this sort of thing on a quarterly basis. (#1, the official first issue, is scheduled for July) The title of RISE ABOVE is also oriented differently to make it look 3-D.
5. Looking at the back cover, the bird has been replaced with a new colorful image of a plant growing out of death. Remember the title of this issue.
6. The features are no longer centered but set to the left. There are also a different placement of the birds and some drip effects from the top.
7. The WMP logo is smaller.
8. Regarding the spine, I realize these images are near impossible to see. Basically, the top of the spine now denotes this as WMP Magazine, and the bottom of the spine says which issue and month it corresponds. In the center is the title for the issue.
9. While the first proof was printed in glossy, this final proof was done in matte. I thought I’d prefer glossy but I was wrong. I think matte works best.

What should you take away from all this? Rise Above is the introductory issue for the new Wintry Monsters Press Magazine. The idea is to release these quarterly (#0 April, #1 July, #2 October, #3 January) with a different “theme” title each time. (I already have the theme for the official first issue, but that won’t be announced until I make the open call for fiction later at the start of summer)

I am looking for contributors (mainly for reviews and articles) for #1 but am not likely to pay yet. I won’t know the success of Rise Above fully until June-ish when royalties come through. At that time, I’ll be able to determine if #2 in October will be larger and able to offer paying gigs and more short fiction slots. But I digress — if you have a feature you’d like to pitch for consideration (despite the lack of pay this time), send it over to contact@wintrymonsterspress.com for me to see.

The open call for issue #1 won’t be announced until June most likely.

#0 Rise Above will publish this coming Monday, April 3rd!