Nemo 7 now open

I've been fascinated by the concept of this series of anthologies ever since I first heard of it. Nemonymous aims to make both the submission process and the reading process blind, so submissions are sent anonymously (from email addresses that give no clue as to who's actually submitting) and within the anthology itself, the stories aren't bylined, until the following issue, when it's revealed who wrote which stories. Volume 7 won't be quite as blind--the editor will learn this time who the authors are after the initial blind read narrows it down to 50 stories, and then half of the stories will be bylined within the issue. So it will interesting to see if (and how) that affects both the stories accepted and how people read the resulting mix.

The earlier issues are available for only the cost of postage, I believe--at least they were when I got the first five issues a couple months ago. I haven't read as many of the stories as I'd hoped to have read by now, but what I've read is good. Wait, you say, five? Then how's this new one number 7? Well, Nemo 6 you make yourself--go out and buy a blank notebook, preferably the same size as the issues, put Nemo 6 on the cover, and then either enjoy the blank stories or write your own in it...but if you write your own, at some level you need to be unaware of who's writing them. Make your head spin? Good. I love it!

Just one note if you do wish to submit, D F Lewis, the editor, has said a couple places online that he seriously doubts anyone who hasn't read a copy will make it to the final 50...so much so that he considered putting that as a requirement right in the guidelines. So I'd recommend getting a copy ($2 postage per issue if you live in the US, and even less I'm sure in the UK--no idea what it'd be for Canada or Australia or elsewhere, but surely not much). Or at the very least, poke around the website to get a feel for Nemonymous's history and D F Lewis's preferences, then go out and buy yourself Nemo 6.

And like I said, I think it's a fascinating concept, this blind submission and reading, something well worth supporting once the new issue is out.

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