THE STARRY EYED STATE OF MIND
If you were to query your favorite dictionary to the meaning of starry-eyed, you would discover that this adjective is used to describe one who is naively enthusiastic or idealistic, especially in matters of love and romance. While we surely identify with the enthusiasm and idealism parts, we are not a publisher of romance, and can anyone really appreciate being called naïve?
It’s a good thing, then, that our name was selected for other reasons, mainly as wordplay – with our primary focus being on science fiction and space opera. Our collective vision (eye, get it?) focusing upon those massive balls of nuclear fusion – endlessly churning light, heat and gravity – as they fuse hydrogen into helium (stars).
While there is no shortage of independent presses and publishing houses in the world, a number to have been increasing exponentially since the global pandemic took hold, Starry Eyed Press promises to be a bit different.
First, our primary focus is science fiction. Whether it be hard, pulpy, technological, artificial intelligence, or space opera, ours is a mission to cover that niche market that seems to be largely overlooked by indie publishers.
Secondly, and perhaps more controversial, we deep edit material. This isn’t for everyone. A lot of Indies have gained reputations for running anything submitted, essentially financing themselves by selling a few copies to the contributions authors, their friends, and families. We strive to be different, for our process to be in line with how major publishing houses work – and aspire to put out material that is designed for retail shelves. We want books and anthologies that can be marketed globally and are worthy to share shelf space with the likes of Tor, DAW, Orbit and Baen, to mention a few. Starry Eyed may be a small press, but we never want that to be reflected in the quality of our products.
So what does that mean for you as a potential contributor? Well, only good things. Even if you feel your work might not be up to industry standard – every story selected for publication will receive the type of editing and formatting the leading publishers provide. We cover all expenses associated with this and offer our authors fair payment. The only downside, of course, is that if you are hard and fast in having your draft untouched, there is a possibility we won’t be able to use your material, unless your piece is truly retail ready. If in doubt, send a sample and we’ll be happy to talk with you.
In our future blog posts we hope to provide you with a colorful mix of Starry Eyed Press news, author interviews, book reviews as well as useful advice on writing, editing, formatting and whatever you’d like to know. We’re excited to begin this first chapter of our journey through the cosmos and will announce specific submission calls soon. In the meantime, let our growing catalog of 224-verse tales entertain you. Set in the sprawling NGC 224 galaxy Andromeda, this ongoing collection of self-contained stories weaves an epic space opera narrative of interconnected continuity. Join us on our starry cruise!
See you on the other side,
Your Starry Eyed Team
Starry Eyed Press 