Submission Period: January 1st, 2024 - June 30, 2024

The Project

A Supernatural Selection Zine Project

This zine project is managed by the team at Supernatural Selection, a podcast about weird history. The current editorial team for the Zine project consists of David A. Davis and Kevin Hayman and can be reached at team@supernaturalselectionpod.com.

Purpose and Scope

Cryptid Encounters 2024 is a zine that celebrates cryptids and invites writers and artists to contribute material. The zine will be available for free download upon publication at the Supernatural Selection zine archive. 

There will also be a limited crowdfunding campaign to produce and distribute contributor copies of the zine for participants, with a small run for distribution at convention appearances for the hosts of Supernatural Selection. Still, the zine will primarily be made available as a print-on-demand PDF. 

Participants can print, redistribute, and sell the zine as they see fit at conventions but cannot modify the contents. Participants retain all rights to their work included within the zine, and the Supernatural Selection podcast team makes no claim to the material, only the ability to archive and distribute the zine.

Zine Theme

The theme of the zine has been chosen for flexibility. Participants are asked to submit depictions of encounters with identifiable cryptids in any scope. Submissions are not limited to a medium beyond what can be repurposed to a zine page and include images, text, and memes. For legal and creative emphasis, no submissions can utilize copyrighted material, and AI-generated materials are not to be included.

For clarity, “cryptids” refer to creatures and supernatural entities attributed to rumored sightings, folklore, and conspiracy. We ask that cryptids exclude UFOs and UAPs for this zine but can include alien-derived cryptids such as the Hopkinsville Goblins, Flatwoods Monster, and Pascagoula Monster.

A non-comprehensive list of suitable subjects includes just about anything listed in this Wikipedia entry.

We will not be draconian about submissions beyond our copyrighted and AI content rules, so don’t sweat the categorization too much.

Zine Format

The zine will be an 8.5” by 5.5” book of printed paper. This is meant for simplicity and to make it easy for participants to print and distribute the zine as they see fit based on a simple download. The zine files will be published in two forms upon publication:

1. A curated PDF designed around the dimensions of the book, like a digital version of the printed form

2. A distribution-friendly PDF of the individual pages for printing so that they can be arranged, folded, and stapled by participants

The zine will be designed for distribution with basic copy paper. However, contributor copies will be printed with cardstock covers of a specific color to be determined as part of a more significant aesthetic and category system for the Supernatural Selection Zine Archive.

Timeline

The project's current timeline is to run a submission period from late January to late June 2024. From there, the zine will be edited and assembled from July through August 2024. The zine will then be available in PDF form on the Supernatural Selection Zine archive in October 2024, following the results of a 30-day crowdfunding campaign for people who want printed zines to help cover the costs of contributor copies.

Contributor copies would then be mailed through November and December of 2024.

Submissions

What We Are Looking For

The Cryptid Encounters 2024 zine seeks written and illustrated depictions of cryptid encounters. The following are guidelines for submissions. For the broadest audience possible, we ask that submissions be around a PG-13 level of intensity.

While Supernatural Selection is a decidedly more adult podcast, we want to focus on making a zine to appeal to as broad an audience as possible while still retaining a spooky and mysterious edge.

Images

Image submissions can range from illustrations to pixel art, photography, and 3D renders of cryptid encounters, both fictional and based on real experiences.

• Images will be scaled and arranged on the page by the editorial team at Supernatural Selection, but we have some core formats that we will be designing around.

• Collage pages will comprise images in 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 16.9, and 18:6 ratios. We prefer submissions in these ratios to facilitate design.

• Single images that fill a 5.5” x 8.5” page are also welcome, but we would prefer to limit these to a handful. Reach out to us first if this is a format you are keen on.

• Images should be in the following formats: PNG or JPG. We prefer PNGs for quality purposes.

• All images must be in black and white or grayscale for easy distribution.

Text

Text submissions can include poetry, flash fiction, drabbles, and mini-essays about fictional or experienced cryptid encounters.

• Any text submissions will be replicated as is, but we reserve the right to ask for edits or corrections as needed before final inclusion.

• Text submissions are limited to 500 words at most.

• Text submissions will have a specific font that has not been determined (we will convert the text ourselves).

Sending Your Submission

When you are ready to send your submission to the Cryptid Encounters 2024 zine project, please follow these guidelines:

1. Ensure your submission is finalized - that there are no spelling or grammatical errors that are unintended or that there are no compositing errors in your images that are unintended.

2. Attach your submissions as a file if it is an image. If your submission is text, please include it in the body of the submission email.

3. Include a name you wish to be associated with/as in the submission details, a title, and a medium if applicable. Please include a social media handle or website if you want that included.

4. Please use the following formats for the email subject line:

1. For images, please use: “Image - Your Name - 2024 Zine”

2. For text, please use: “Text - Your Name - 2024 Zine”

5. Address your submission to team@supernaturalselectionpod.com.

Once we have received your submission, we will contact you to confirm receipt. At this time, we may also return with notes if there is an issue with format or grammar/spelling to allow you to revise if necessary.

Compensation

As this is an independent, non-profit zine project, and compensation is limited to five (5) printed contributor copies and access to PDF files for further printing and distribution as the participant sees fit. Contributor copies will be handled out of pocket by the Supernatural Selection team. Still, they may take longer to distribute due to the non-profit nature of the project.

However, a crowdfunding campaign will also be made available to cover printed copies of the zine, including contributor copies, to lessen the burden on the podcast team.