It has been some time since the last update on BOFF 2, but rest assured we are getting closer to a launch all the time. As an editor, I have been less than great at keeping everyone informed on how things are developing, so all participants have every right to think I am just full of hot air. Hopefully, this post will help make amends for past shortcomings.

The Good
We will be sending out emails shortly to all the authors who have made the cut. All stories were selected after careful consideration from a pool of anonymous entries. While not perfect, it was the most fair method I could imagine. Thanks to all the judges who performed this difficult task. Without you, there would be no BOFF 2.

The Bad
We will also be sending out emails to all the authors who did not make the cut. For me, as Editor, this is the hardest part of the job. I will have to send emails to folks I have come to know over time, many of whom I regard as friends, and let them know the bad news. The only thing that makes it bearable is the fact that the stories were judged blind. Still, judging is subjective. Just because one story got a higher score than another does not necessarily mean the one was better than the other. You may have simply gotten judges that did not particularly like your genre. Or one who had just read another similar story, so the concept no longer felt fresh in their minds. Please do not take “No” as a failure. It is not. It is simply a set back. Your story will likely easily find another venue.

The Exciting
We will also be including a proposal to the authors who made the cut in the acceptance email, probably as an attachment. We have had a very generous offer from a publisher, one many of you will be familiar with, to do the typesetting, cover, production, and distribution of both the ebook and print versions. That’s right, we have the opportunity to have the BOFF 2 published with an actual imprint, that of eMergent Publishing. Regular participants may know the publishers of eMergent, Jodi Cleghorn and Paul Anderson. Both are members of the #FridayFlash community, and some of you have even been published through them previously. I have as well.

When I first set up #FridayFlash, we had to come up with a name. That quest lead me to Jodi Cleghorn, who I described at the time as “a lovely soul.” She has proved this once again, along with Paul, via their very kind offer. In short, eMergent is allowing the #FridayFlash community to publish through them at minimal cost as one of their community projects – i.e. a public service. Full details will be included in the forthcoming email.

To move forward on this, we simply need buy in from our authors. So read over the email when you get it and let us know if you are in or out. No response will indicate a decline, and we will not be able to include you. I sincerely hope you will all buy in, and we look forward to taking the #FridayFlash community a little higher in the world of publishing. We sincerely want to help you soar.
~jon

Public Domain photo by John Storr, via Wikimedia Commons. Thank you, John. The world needs more folks like you.