It should come as no surprise that we here at Nerdist LOVE sci-fi and fantasy. Whether it’s classic cinema like 2001: A Space Odyssey, our beloved Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings, or groundbreaking fiction by Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, and Robert A. Heinlein, we are head over heels for the intricate stories and social commentary that both genres bring to the table. And now, in partnership with Inkshares, the online crowd-driven publisher, we’re looking to publish our very first book – and we want to read submissions from you! (Enter here.)

Beginning August 15, writers can submit their pitches and/or sample chapters to Inkshares for consideration. Inkshares will then publish the top five science fiction and fantasy projects with the most unique reader pre-orders by 12:00 p.m. PST, September 30th. Lastly, we get to choose our favorite book from those five to include in our new Nerdist Collection on Inkshares.

So what does that mean, exactly? Well, any writer can launch a project on Inskhares any time between August 15th and September 30th to be considered. Users/Nerdist fans can vote for the book they want to win by pre-ordering a copy, and Inkshares will publish the top five projects from the contest—even if they haven’t hit their funding goal. All five projects will receive the same editorial, production, distribution, and marketing support as any Inkshares project, including distribution into independent bookstores and Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble.

We will then pick our favorite of the top five and offer the author a chance to be in the Nerdist Inkshares collection. That book would receive Nerdist branding and promotion, an opportunity to develop it into other media such as movies, TV series, and digital productions, and a whole bunch of other fun stuff. Who knows, your book could become the next The Martian or Ready Player One.

You can find all the nitty gritty details here, along with an extensive FAQ that should answer any questions you might have about the process. We can’t wait to read all of your original work and see who will be chosen to be the very first novel in the Nerdist Inkshares Collection. God speed — and good luck!

Featured Image courtesy of deviantArt // artist: sali255

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Rachel Heine is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She wrote an epic fantasy novel when she was 13 that she’s just dying to submit. Chat with her about books and Inkshares on twitter @RachelHeine.