AnthologyBuilder.Com

And sometimes, even if you're willing to pay, that elusive story has gone out of print and you can't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, the writer has no way to sell you a story you'd love to buy.

Enter Nancy Fulda's AnthologyBuilder.Com, an elegant print-on-demand Web service that solves these problems for both writers and readers. The service is much like the venerable Fictionwise.Com, which offers reprinted stories in eBook form -- except that with AnthologyBuilder.Com, you get an actual book in your hands.

How It Works: For Readers

It's easy to print your own book on AnthologyBuilder.Com. Just create your (free) account and click "Build an Anthology." Enter a title and subtitle (you can change these later) and select large or standard-size font. Then use either the "Story Finder" or manual search/browse to find and select stories.

I wanted to print my own book of retold fairy tales. Story Finder did a pretty good job picking some stories for me. Then, I used manual search and browse by author, original publication title, and genre to find more. AnthologyBuilder has pieces in the following genres: Alternate history, children, classics, dark fantasy, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, humor, mainstream, mystery/crime, romance, science fiction, suspense/thriller, and young adult.

It is straightforward -- and a lot of fun! -- to add, remove, and rearrange your stories using the "Anthology Overview." Best of all, your book can have up to 350 pages for the same price of $14.95. Make sure to save your changes as you work.

Once you have all your stories chosen, it's time to select a cover image, tweak the position of your title and subtitle so they fit on the cover, and write your Introduction. As of this writing, the Introduction is the only place where your name, as Editor, can be printed -- so make sure you include it.

One of AnthologyBuilder's coolest features is "download PDF preview." It takes a minute or two, especially if you have maxed out the page count like I did. The site generates a live, partial preview of your book in .PDF format. The site does all formatting for you, and it supplies title, copyright, table of contents, and "about the author" pages. Naturally, only part of each story is included in the preview.

You can add your anthology to the AnthologyBuilder Library if you'd like others to see it -- in fact, one of the best ways to find stories on your topic is to search for an existing anthology and then either buy it as is, or copy it to an editable version of your own. Or, you can keep your anthology private, so only you can see or buy it.

Of course you'll want to buy a copy of your one-of-a-kind masterpiece, and AnthologyBuilder.Com uses the familiar cart-and-checkout method. You can pay by Paypal or credit card.

I haven't received my first anthology, but the site states "Our books feature a durable paperback binding, a title and cover art of your choice, and a glossy finish." I'll add a comment about quality to this article when my book arrives.

How It Works: For Authors (And Cover Artists)

If you own reprint rights to a short story, novelette, poem, nonfiction article, memoir, or personal essay that you have previously published in a paying market (either in print or online), you can upload your work to AnthologyBuilder.Com for consideration. The site also accepts images suitable for use as cover art.

If work is accepted, the author or artist contracts with AnthologyBuilder to allow the sale of work in customized anthologies in return for a royalty. The author or artist retains the copyright, and can remove work from AnthologyBuilder at any time. Interestingly, the site does allow anyone to upload public domain works, but no royalties are paid for these works.

Royalties, as you might imagine, are a bit tricky, since they have to be shared with the other authors whose work is selected for a custom-built anthology, and with the cover artist. It's simpler just to quote from the contract, and let you creative types figure it out: "Each time an anthology containing the Work is purchased through the AnthologyBuilder web site, the Author will receive a pro rata share of royalties based on word count. The total royalty amount to be shared between all authors will be at least $1.50 per anthology." As of this writing, artists receive $0.15 per anthology sold with their cover.

Not for Self-Publishers

AnthologyBuilder.Com is not your path to becoming a publishing powerhouse, because "Editors" who build custom anthologies do not get a cut of the $14.95 sale price, nor is there an affiliate program.

In addition, if you have original unpublished writing and you want to have it edited, published, and marketed, then AnthologyBuilder.Com is not for you because the site does not accept unsolicited submissions unless previously published in a paying market.

An AnthologyBuilder.Com book does not contain an ISBN or other identifying number which would allow it to be marketed to bookstores, and it cannot be ordered or reprinted anywhere but AnthologyBuilder.Com. So if you want to self-publish and market an original work, print-on-demand services such as Createspace, Lulu, or Lightning Source are a better fit.

Problems

AnthologyBuilder.Com does have a few technical glitches, as any new service does. The site allows you to mark stories as "Favorites" for later consideration, but I could not find a way to remove stories from my favorites list. Similarly, I did not see a way to remove anthologies I didn't want to finish, and the site does not appear to "remember" my address or other pertinent information after I've placed an order.

Also, I wish the authors would post more than just a few words about their stories. Most of the blurbs are very short and cryptic, and you can't get a good feel for the story without adding it to an anthology and doing a preview.

AnthologyBuilder.Com is Genius

It's just like the back cover says: "The stories you want. The authors you love." I can't wait to curl up with my first customized anthology from AnthologyBuilder.Com. And I hope the service makes it big, so all my favorite short story authors submit their backlists.

In fact, while I'm waiting for my book, I think I'll send a few fangirl emails. I'll beg, if I have to.