HOW TO MAKE AN ANTHOLOGY: 6 ESSENTIAL STEPS - LITERATURE - 2025

To make an anthology, you must start by selecting its central theme, which may be general or specific, focused on one author or several authors.

Anthologies are collections of written works of the same genre, of the same subject or by the same author. In the narrative they are known as a collection of short works (stories and short stories), which are usually published in a single edition.

The term comes from the Greek anthologia, which means "collection of flowers." This word began to be used in Ancient Greece to refer to sets of poems. In this way, a metaphor was established between flowers and poetry.

Due to the influence of Greek, the term anthologia was adopted by many languages, such as Spanish and English.

Currently anthologies are very common jobs thanks to their benefits. These allow the works of an author to be widely publicized.

Also, if they are multi-author anthologies, they create a sense of unity by presenting these writers as one generation.

The 6 steps to creating an anthology

1- Select a central element

Anthologies are collections of texts that have at least one element in common. Therefore, the first step before making one of these compilations is to select what will be the central theme of it.

This element can be general or specific. For example, an anthology of epistolary texts can be made (which would be general) or it can be made on epistolary texts written to deceased persons (which would be specific).

You can also select a topic and let the participating writers decide what genre to write. For example, if the chosen theme is spring, the authors can write stories, poems, novels, fables, dramas, among others.

Likewise, you can choose a single author and make a compilation of his texts. This type of anthology is usually done when there is a reason for celebration for the author.

2- Set goals

When a person or a group of people decides to dedicate themselves to a project, they must set a series of goals that give meaning to the creative process. This is also necessary in anthologies.

These goals must be achievable and realistic. They must be able to be measured by some system and must be framed in time and space.

Some examples of these objectives are to establish a deadline for the work, obtain a certain amount of money, sell a certain number of copies, among others.

Once these goals have been set, you can work towards achieving them. Having a certain goal will make anthology development much easier.

3- Establish guidelines for writers

In case the anthology requires the participation of several writers, it is necessary to establish a series of guidelines that allow regulating the activity of the participants.

Some of these guidelines refer to the form of the text. You can set the word limit for each text produced (for example: minimum 2000 words, maximum 3500 words), number of lines per paragraph, among others.

You can also regulate the type of language used, the narrative style, the tone used, the theme and the genre.

For example, you can set it to be written in standard Spanish to avoid language differences that exist between authors from different dialect areas.

Among these guidelines is the delivery time. Usually two dates are established: the first for the preliminary delivery and the second for the final corrected delivery. However, you can set as many delivery dates as you like.

Finally, the legal aspects of the anthology should also be included. Here you will find the regulations on copyright and on the payment of each writer (if they receive).

It also specifies what will be done with the money raised through the anthology: will it be for the authors? Or will it be donated to an organization?

4- Gather the necessary documents

Authors must provide manuscripts of their texts on the assigned date.

In addition to this, they must record the transfer of copyright or any other letter in which it is specified that the writer has consented to have his work published in the anthology.

If real-life texts are included in the anthology, it will also be necessary to have letters of consent from the people involved.

5- Edit

Once the work of the authors has been received, it is necessary to edit it before publishing it. Depending on the quality of the works submitted, the editor in charge will be able to decide whether to publish all of them or to select only the best.

Authors may also be asked to make certain changes if their texts are found to not meet specified guidelines.

The editing work is one of the most complicated since it requires reading each text meticulously, detecting and correcting errors (grammatical, syntax, typing, among others) and determining whether or not the work can be accepted to be part of the anthology.

Due to the demanding nature of this work, a publishing house is usually used to fulfill it.

6- Publish

The last step is to publish the anthology. In addition to the corrected manuscript, copyright letters and other legal documents must also be delivered to the publisher. In general, the same house in charge of the edition is the one that publishes the final work.

In this last step, the format in which the work will be released on the market will be decided: hardcover, pocket, with or without images, among other aspects.

In some cases, the anthology manager looks for a publishing house before the work is finished. This is done to expedite the legal process.

References

1. 10 Tips For Self-Publishing A Multi-Author Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from forbes.com
2. A definitive guide to writing and publishing an anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from notionpress.com
3. Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from wikipedia.org
4. Hearing Voices: 6 Steps I Used for Creating an Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from writersdigest.com
5. How to Compile and Publish an Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from writersweekly.com
6. How to Create an Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from poets.org
7. How to Put Together an Anthology. Retrieved on October 4, 2017, from litreactor.com