CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Wizard Academies
By invitation only.
You are invited to submit magical fiction based on the world of Harry Potter for possible publication in an anthology of young adult fantasy stories entitled "Wizard Academies."
Entries must comply with strict guidelines to avoid copyright infringement on J.K. Rowling books and to ensure compatibility with the Harry Potter mythos.
We are looking for short stories and novellas set in the world of Harry Potter -- but using characters, locations, and situations of your own imagining. Selected stories will be those which, in the opinion of the editors, most closely follow the mood, writing style, and plot development of Ms. Rowling without stealing her characters or ideas.
Below are some of our guidelines. We also have extensive notes on the magick system and the wizard schools we have created so far. If you are interested in submitting, please contact our offices for the complete Submission Guidelines at:
For our Wizard Academies series, we have interest from a major New York City publisher ...
Accordingly, we want to design our stories so that those by a single author can be combined into a book-length "novel."
As you write your adventures, try to plan them in such a way that subsequent stories take up where the previous one left off -- so that several stories could be combined into a single book-length "novel."
I figure three novella-length stories at 35,000 words could be published individually in an anthology, and then again together as a trilogy of 105,000 words.
To clarify further, 35,000 words is what I consider to be a novella or novelette. Our "short stories" tend to run 6,000 words to 13,000 words.
To summarize:
Short Story 6,000 to 13,000
Novella 35,000
Book Length 100,000 +(These are general and arbitrary designations for the purposes of my company).
NEW ORLEANS
We want to feature New Orleans writers for this part of the project to help restore the region's economy and culture (to the small extent that our stories might foster).
For the next volume in the series, we are considering having one of the wizard schools set in New Orleans. The story must not only comply with the Rules for Wizard Academies stories, it must also capture the vibrant, colourful culture of the Big Easy. We want to see minority characters as protagonists -- Blacks, Hispanics, Cajuns, Native Americans, etc. -- and the plots should incorporate Louisiana history -- Marie Levaux, Madame Laulaurie, dueling, Creole cooking, Mardi Gras, Noleans style Jazz, the Hurricane, etc. It has been established in previous stories that New Orleans is the last place in the world where Wizard Duels are still common. (Ask me about the infamous historical duel in Lake Ponchartrain).
The magick system must be a variation of the "scientific" approach used in the other Wizard Academies stories (see below), but should also incorporate elements from Voodoo, granny magick, Native American mysticism, etc.
PLEASE NOTE that Voodoo is a religion. The story should NOT have the protagonists viewing magick in a religious manner or encourage witchcraft as a spiritual belief.
For monsters, be sure to use any mythological creatures from the Loisiana swamps. Also, you might want to draw on the fabulous creatures of the Ozark mountains -- Gowrow, Paynter, Jimplicute, Nighbehind, Kingdoodle, Whangdoodle, Gollywog, Willipus-Wallipus, Snawfus, Bingbuffer, Orance, Whistling-Wampus, Hicklesnoopus, Ring-Tailed Tooter, Cross-Eyed Crud, Moogie, Darby-Hick, Geek-Squaw, Side-Hill Hoofer, Bald Knob Buzzard, Giasticutus, Whiffle-Bird, Bogie-Bird, Ponjureen, Fillyloo, Clew-Bird, Mileormore, Toodalong, Yowho, Taneycomo Turtle, Wowzer, Great Galliwampus, Chawgreen, Galoopus, Guffel-Bird. Characters in you story might make a pilgrimage to the wilds of the Ozarks as part of their adventures.
See the accompanying information on the other schools in our mythos and on the underlying magickal system. You might want to purchase a copy of Wizard Academies I: A Gathering of Enchantment and Wizard Academies II: the Heart of Darkness, the first and second books in the series, although you are not required to do so. (These were originally published as one 665 page book -- which was too large -- so we are now working on splitting it into two volumes.) The book(s) can be found at our website:
http://www.interdrama.com/wiz/
Magick in America is regulated by the Federation of Magick, the equivalent of the British Ministry of Wizardry. The Federation has various Bureaus, including the Bureau of Sorcerous Crime Investigation (BSCI).
The Federation has jurisdiction over nearly all areas of magick in the United States, including granny magick (both Appalacian and Ozark), Native American Magick, Afro-American Magick (Voodoo), and Cajun and Creole Magick, as well as imported Euro style magick as found in Salem. The notable exception is California New Age Magick - which is so far out and bizarre that no reputable wizards will deal with it. It is thought to be disruptive to manna itself, and the ley line associated with the San Andreas Fault has been heavily enchanted to protect the rest of North America from the dilatory effects of the Californians.
Be sure to include things like specialty foods (Poboys, Dirty Rice, Jumbalaya, Gumbo, Mufaletta, etc.), trees and flowers, and other things native to New Orleans that people in other parts of the world might not be familiar with -- it will add to the local color and culture of your stories.
If you are not a native of Louisiana, you can still submit a story for the traditional British "Wizard Academies" series if you wish. (See below).
RULES
No actual characters, places, events, or things from the Harry Potter books or movies can be used -- because such usage would infringe on Ms. Rowling's copyrights.
Stories must be PG Rating - Parental Guidance. Language and plot situations must be consistent with the Rowling books and movies. No adult situations, no overtly sexual scenes, no trash-talk language will be allowed. If it could NOT have been in the books and movies, it is NOT acceptable for this project.
You CAN use your own characters, places, or things -- or places and things invented by other writers in this project. By participating in this "shared mythos" project, you agree to allow other writers in the project to refer to your stories and situations, and to share the place names, general characters, and general plot backgrounds you develop for use in this project (just as you may use theirs).
Copyrights for the book as a whole will be in the name of Andersen Desktop Publishing, LLC -- and you will retain private copyright on the individual stories you submit. Compensation will be on a Royalty basis.
Do not assume that your readers have read the Harry Potter books. Each story must be a stand-alone, something that a person unfamiliar with the mythos could read and understand. You can use specialized terms -- just make certain you define them or make clear what it means in the context of the story.
GUIDELINES
Preference will be given to stories that most closely approximate the originals by J.K. Rowling in tone, style, and content. Stories should be suitable for middle school and high school children.
A typical Rowling book starts at the beginning of a new school term. There may be a scene in the outside world to establish a contrast with the magickal world of the school. Then the main characters go to the school of wizardry. A magickal nemesis of some sort threatens the students. The main characters have problems with schoolwork, bullies, and other things with which readers of the book can identify -- set against the wonderful magick background. There are sporting events coming up. The students get detention for some misdemeanor, which involves some bizarre magical element (sweeping out the griffin cage, for example). There is always a mystery to be solved. Devoted and loyal friendship among the main characters help overcome the difficulties. Conflict occurs on two levels: 1. Other students as adversaries (bullies, snobs, oddballs, etc.) and 2. Dangerous magickal influences (monsters or a powerful evil magickal person). The first type of conflict involves the usual sort of things modern kids have to deal with in real life, the second is magickal fantasy on a high level. The adventure generally finishes at the end of the school term when the students return home for the summer. (Short stories need not use the entire school term -- for example, you might have an adventure that happens over the Christmas break among students who don't go home for the holidays or something bizarre that happens during a midwinter blizzard. But don't have an epic story that spans several years or decades.)
Stories will be judged on how well they comply with the above elements.
Stories with a good "Solver's Mystery" element will get high marks. (A Solver's Mystery is one where the reader gets ALL the clues necessary to solve it -- and yet the mystery is so well-crafted that only the most observant and clever readers will be able to do so).
Stories which rely too much on social and romantic interactions will be scored lower. There should be a balance of this sort of thing. These stories should be fast-paced adventures, magical-plot-and-mystery driven, with themes of friendship, loyalty, and creative intelligence.
Stories can have sad plot elements, but should have a generally happy or upbeat ending.
Avoid long paragraphs with the character "just thinking" about the circumstances and going over past history. Get on with the action.
You may have the germ of a good story -- but one which needs work. In such cases, the editors may suggest revisions. You are not required to take these suggestions (it's your story, after all). But chances are slim that a story will be accepted for publication if the problems the editors point out are not addressed.
We encourage unknown and previously unpublished writers, but your manuscript needs to be of high merit and professional quality.
OUR EDITORS CAN NO LONGER SPEND HOURS AND DAYS REWRITING WORK THAT HAS GRAMMATICAL, SPELLING, OR PLOT WEAKNESSES.
Unless you are a highly-experienced writer, I suggest you ask an English teacher, editor, or other such knowledgeable person to critique and proofedit your manuscript before submission.
You cannot use Quidditch, but you CAN (and are encouraged to) invent your own magical sports. Perhaps jousting while riding on the back of Wyverns, etc. Or a traditional "wizard duel" of magic. (See Ursula LeGuin's story "The Rule of Names" or the Vincent Price / Boris Karloff movie "The Raven.") If you invent a sport, please write up your idea for the rules and elements of play and submit them to our editors at the email address below. If selected, we may have your game included in stories by other authors in this project. Coming up with fascinating sport will be a joint effort among participating authors.
One sport we already have established is "Featherwars." This game is NOT approved by the schoolmasters. Two students place a bet -- usually magical items or power -- and then use the magical word "Vogelskrieg" to project their personalities into birds of prey that circle the hills near the academy. Perhaps a hawk versus a falcon, or an eagle versus a hawk. From the point of view of the combatants, they have "become" the birds of prey (although this is NOT a magical transformation spell, but rather a minor astral projection). The two birds then battle. Whichever bird wins, that student wins the bet. The trouble is that, when the students are inhabiting the birds' bodies, if one of the birds kills the other -- that can kill the student inhabiting the bird that's killed. Students play Featherwars for fun -- not as duels to the death. Real adult wizards sometimes use Featherwars for serious death duels when there is an uneven match between them on the basis of their magical power and experience. Students don't take the game as seriously as they should, and the results can be tragic.
We plan on having several short stories and a novella, so you are more likely to be selected if you submit several good short stories rather than one long work. Also, authors of particularly well-written stories and beguiling popular characters may be selected to have two or three short stories included in the book.
Although this is not a firm rule, preference will be given to stories with characters in the younger age range of the first three Harry Potter books.
You cannot use Hogwarts school, but you can use OTHER schools of wizardry as long as they are NOT mentioned by J.K. Rowling. We will work with selected authors to develop some of the details of several schools you can use, or you can create your own (with the understanding that other authors in this project may use your school in their stories).
Your characters should NOT use owls as familiars for the students, but you can use other animals.
If you choose to set your stories in a different European country, do enough research to include authentic cultural details about that country. We plan on schools in Wales, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Eastern European countries, and Scandinavia.
Preference will be given to stories set in Great Britain.
In our version of the mythos, the border country between England and Scotland will have a number of small wizard academies and brotherhoods rather than a large magic university like Hogwarts. These small academy schools usually have a single mage or master in charge and are rather eccentric. These magic masters may be good and fairly powerful wizards, or perhaps they are a bit "bonkers" and not really all that capable -- which can lead to humorous plot situations based on magic that gets out of hand and spells that don't quite work right. How well you develop such situations (while still being consistent with Rawling's mythos) will be to your advantage in our selection process.
Preference will be given to stories which incorporate monsters from traditional English folk and faery lore. Examples: Redcap, Nukelavee, Spriggans, the Fachan, etc. I recommend Katherine Briggs' "An Encyclopedia of Fairies" and Brian Froud's "Fairies" as resource material. (J.K. Rowling uses mythological creatures such as hippogriff and basilisk -- so using such creatures is consistent with her stories.)
CREOLE MAGICK SCHOOLS in New Orleans
Secondary schooling is divided into two successive stages, known as cycles. From 11 to 16 years, almost all magickal Creole children now attend an École, taking them from Form 3 (Troisième Forme) to Form 6 (Sixième Forme). Since 1975 there has been a single mixed-ability Écoles for all wizardlings regardless of their level of achievement. After Sixième Forme, they move onto an Applied Magick, Thaumaturgic Reserach, or Vocational Magick lycée. These prepare pupils for the corresponding baccalauréat examinations (referred to as le bac), which they normally take at the age of 18.
Decisions about pupils (repeating years, moving up to a higher class, changing course) are taken through a procedure involving a dialogue between the school (teachers, administrative and ancillary staff) and the families and pupils. Although the teachers give their opinions in what is known as a "class council" - consisting of representatives among pupils, teachers and parents - parents can appeal against a decision and demand (depending on the pupil's level) that the pupil move up rather than repeat the year, or repeat the year rather than do a course they do not wish their son or daughter to pursue. In every school, there are specialist counsellors to help pupils, parents, and teachers resolve any problems they may encounter.
Today, Sixième Forme (which is the final year at École) is the first point at which children have a choice regarding some of the subjects they wish to study, and the direction they would like their curriculum to take (although they must choose a foreign language in Form 3, and another in Form 5).
The vast majority of pupils attend schools which are overseen by the Federation of Magick.
NON-CREOLE MAGICK SCHOOLS in New Orleans
Such schools as The Sazerac and The Conservatory follow a different pattern. Students arrive as Novices and spend their first year on their Noviciate. After that, they earn their way through Apprentice I, Apprentice II, and Apprentice III levels before taking the exams that will earn them the status of Journeyman. Higher achievement leads to the rank of Master, Adept, Mage, and Archmage or Grand Master.
French equivalents of these terms are as follows:
Novice = Élève Débutant / Élève Débutante
Apprentice = Élève Apprenti I, Élève Apprenti II, & Élève Apprenti III / Élève Apprentie I, Élève Apprentie II, & Élève Apprentie III
Journeyman = Élève Compagnon / Élève Compagnone
Master = Maître / Maîtresse
Adept = Versé / Versée
Mage = Mage
Archmage = Archmage
MAGICK SCHOOLS IN BRITAIN
Big schools of Magic such as Killiecrankitt use the British Public School designations of Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form, Sixth Form, etc.
Smaller schools use the Novice-Apprentice-Journeyman system.
Scheherazade and Grackleflints do not use student classifications.
(Hogwarts uses 1st Year, 2nd Year, 3rd Year, etc. -- which we find rather unimaginative.)
Above are only some of our guidelines. We also have extensive notes on the magick system and the wizard schools we have created so far. If you are interested in submitting, please contact our offices for the complete Submission Guidelines.
For more information, please contact:
Alan Lance Andersen
ANDERSEN DESKTOP PUBLISHING, LLC
122 West Ash Lane
Roland, Iowa 50236
(515) 388-5573
Illustrations courtesy of our illustrator Lylith, to whom we offer our deepest thanks.
