Q&As
If you have any questions which are not answered here, please let us know and we’ll add the answer here.
Who started 256 Stories?
Bruce Aiken. He’d like to assure you that this is not a self-promotion project, and he’s not hiding – all the promotions on Facebook are from his personal account – so you can stalk him if you get bored with writing.
Why did Bruce start this?
He won a small prize in a short story competition and thought he’d do something useful with it – rather than just buy more wine.
As a writer, he’s entered numerous competitions – with some modicum of success. But he’s also had a lot of ‘Thank you, but no luck this time’ responses. He sympathised with all the other people who have been disappointed by such news, and came up with the idea of 256 Stories.
Who runs the project?
The project crew currently include Julian Fuller and Stephen Taylor, both of whom are writers based in Devon, UK. More foolhardy enthusiasts may join the team as things progress…
Why 256 stories? Why 256 words?
Bruce gives several reasons:
256 words fits neatly on a B-Format paperback page
256 one-page stories makes a nice length book.
256 is two to the power eight, or 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2.
£2.56 is an affordable fee for most.
(Bruce is mildly touched by autism and fascinated by mathematics)
Are all stories accepted?
Yes, with a couple of small caveats described in the rules. But, even then, you get a chance to re-submit at no extra cost.
How many stories can I enter?
As a rule of thumb we suggest up to 3 stories per volume, to ensure a balanced anthology. However if you insist on being prolific, you could always work around that limit by submitting under pen names!
Do my stories have to have exactly 256 words?
No, that’s the maximum word count, not including the title. But we have set a minimum of 200 words, otherwise the story would look a bit ‘thin’ on a page.
Will my stories be edited?
No. Flash fiction is very difficult to edit. If we spot a misplaced comma or an obvious typo, we will correct it. But that’s not a promise, so take care to edit well yourself.
Is there an age limit?
No. If you can write, you can enter. However if you are under 16, please seek parental permission before submitting your story and making online payment.
Are international entries permitted?
Absolutely!
Is there a deadline?
No, submit whenever you’re ready. Our plan is to publish the first anthology once 256 stories have been submitted. Hopefully, if popular, it will become a rolling event with volumes 2, 3… following on.
How will I know what’s happening?
There is a ‘News’ section on the website which will be updated regularly.
Can I help as well as contribute?
Yes. Bruce is open to all suggestions and participation. This is not a vanity project, and he plans for others to take over the baton in the future.
What happens to the money if 256 stories are not received?
Should that happen, and we hope it doesn’t, whatever money has been received will go to charity as planned. And if there are sufficient entries to make a sensibly sized anthology, we will still publish it on Amazon, but all stories will be then deleted from the administrative file system.
Who is doing the design and formatting?
Bruce is, for free. He’s spent his adult life as a freelance designer, illustrator and writer and has designed more books than he cares to remember, mostly for traditional publishers, several of whom no longer exist.
Will Bruce be be submitting stories himself?
Yes, but he will pay the due fees, and mostly use pen names, borrowing names of people he knew from childhood, slightly altered.
Do contributors get a free copy of the published anthology?
Sadly not. If we did that the whole project would run at a massive loss. But any profits from book sales will be added in entirety to the charity pot.
Why doesn’t the whole £2.56 go to charity?
Because we have to use an intermediary, like PayPal or Stripe, and they take a small cut of each entry fee to process the payment. In the case of Stripe, who we are using, this is typically 1.5% plus 20p; an extra 1% if the payment comes from overseas.
What do Bruce and crew get out of this?
Nothing but a warm fuzzy feeling that we’re helping writers get something into print, while benefiting the charity most nominated by the contributors.
Is Bruce some kind of literary saint?
Absolutely not. His friends will testify to that. But he has done voluntary work for several charities, and spent some years as a Samaritan listener. He is a big believer in giving back. We hope you are too.