Hello everyone,
We have some very sad news to share with you all. We have made the extremely difficult and painful decision to stop running our magazine.
What Happened??
The magazine has been a bone of contention with certain people for months. Some artists have threatened to defame us because we would not bow to demands that no magazine would be prepared to accept under any circumstances. Others have accused us of running a vanity publishing scheme because we charge nominal submission fees and ask for donations so that our free submitters (who took advantage of our former free entry route) can also receive ongoing royalties.
Many have called our policy of not accepting simultaneous submissions “wrong”, stating that it creates undue hardships to artists. (We do this to prevent our projects from becoming unnecessarily delayed or ruined by people trying to remove content right before publication.)
An increasing number of people have refused to follow our submission guidelines, disrespected our publishing deadlines, or refused/shrugged off our offer of ongoing royalties (something that has been rarely done with any magazine before!).
Earlier this month, a submission almost jeopardized the release of our second issue because it violated the Amazon rule regarding content being available freely and widely on the internet, hence cutting our ability to distribute the issue on Amazon. Accusations of vanity publishing resurfaced and a few artists berated us for unethical behavior. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
We have no problem with apologizing in case of mistakes. People are also entitled to their opinions. But when those opinions become false accusations, bordering on libel, and feel like a vendetta against our efforts to bring positivity and inspiration to the forefront, we cannot let it go any longer.
Our Decision
Auroras & Blossoms is only run by two passionate, dedicated artists. People will always judge others, that’s a fact. However, we can take steps on our end to ensure that the bad apples are no longer allowed to waste our time and take the slots in our publications that other artists like you deserve. After all, the actions of a selfish few can easily endanger the reputation of Auroras & Blossoms, as well as yours. We care too much about the publication of your work to let this happen.
What does it mean for the future? A more stringent submission process (unfortunately but completely necessary) and a stronger focus on themed anthologies, which our readers seem to enjoy a lot!
(By the way, our magazine may be closed, but all our previously published issues remain available for purchase!)
Thank You!
Thank you to all the people who have supported our magazine! We know that you are disappointed that its journey has to stop so early. However, we also know that you understand our decision.
At Auroras & Blossoms we will always do our utmost to defend our guiding principles of positivity and inspiration, and ensure that our platform continues to be a place where artists feel valued and respected.
David and Cendrine
Our Current Submission Calls
Currently, we have ‘The PoArtMo Anthology’, which is in its second year, and we also have just launched the ‘Written in a Flash Anthology’ exclusively for flash fiction and short story writers.
For more information, see below.
The PoArtMo Anthology: Volume 2
After our very successful first edition, the PoArtMo Anthology is back! We want your most inspirational art created in 2019-2021.
We accept poetry, poetry-graphy, photography, short stories, six word stories, essays, flash fiction, drawings and paintings. New this year: A second anthology featuring works dedicated to 13-16 year-old artists!
Deadline for submissions: December 31, 2021.
Submission fee: $6 per piece. $15 for three pieces.
Payment to selected artists: ongoing royalties.
Other perks: Complimentary PDF copy + interview on our blog or PoArtMo Show.
Submissions: https://abpositiveart.com/poartmo-anthology
The Written in a Flash Anthology
Written in a Flash Anthology: A Collection of Positive Stories is a new project that seeks to highlight the most inspirational / positive short stories and flash fiction pieces created in 2019-2021.
Genres accepted: thriller, mystery, fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, young adult, humor, and nonfiction.
Deadline for submissions: December 31, 2021
Submission fee: $6 per piece. $15 for three pieces.
Payment to selected artists: ongoing royalties.
Other perks: Complimentary PDF copy + interview on our blog or PoArtMo Show.
Submissions: https://abpositiveart.com/written-flash-anthology/
