Hello! It has been awhile, hasn't it? Or, maybe, for some of you, it hasn't been awhile at all, and you are only now hearing from me the first time. In which case, ... Hello! 

   A few years ago, Mishmashers Publishing released Readers Digested, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 to the world. Since then, many horror aficionados have asked us about when Volume Three will be released to the world. Truth is, we have wanted to release Readers Digested III for ages. Unfortunately, it simply hasn't been easy for us. 

   For those who aren't aware, Mishmashers is a small independent company founded by Scott Moore and myself (his brother, Nicholas McConnaughay - different Dads). Everything that happens on Mishmashers goes through us. Between us, we have each released a dozen books apiece - including an ongoing collaborative series that recently had its fourth book released. Mostly though, we live our lives and try to put our best into the company when we can. Scott has damn near half a dozen kids and a company that provides assisted behavioral change services (or something). He's a busy boy, and, for that reason, most of what you see on Mishmashers.com is yours truly (Nick), often conversing with Scott along the way.

   That means that all that goes into finding authors, proofreading and editing stories, budgeting, and marketing is down to what I have time to do. Earlier this year, I had a disaster that put me through the ringer. Now, however, I am back and am ready to move forward with Readers Digested III (as well as some other things I've been meaning to get to).

  Readers Digested, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

   I will be giving Readers Digested, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 facelifts this year, including new coverwork, improved formatting, and a new marketing campaign. I always felt like we created a very good product with the first two Readers Digested books, but happenstance always kept them from getting a fairshake at things. I want to fix that.

Readers Digested, Vol. 3

   I have attached a table at the bottom showing all of the progress on Readers Digested, Vol. 3, as of this moment. There, you will see that we have two novelettes (a novelette by myself, and one by Scott). You will also see we have brought in B.K. Brahma for a short story, and brought in Peter Bertlessen for a pair of new short stories. We also have a ton of opportunities for other newcomers to introduce themselves to the anthology.

I am planning to start more aggressively searching for writers in the coming weeks. I hadn't, originally, because I wanted to allow the opportunity for legacy authors of the original two Readers Digested books to have their stories commissioned. Readers Digested, Vol. 3 will be what we started with the original three (we will do more, but will likely experiment with the format hereafter), so I wanted to have the three books rhyme in that way. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear like it will happen and I will proceed now accordingly.

   All of that said, I am very excited for the project and I am excited for what it means for both Mishmashers and Readers Digested as a brand. I think a lot of people know what I am going for with Readers Digested, a fun horror curation that acts as a gateway to each author's other works (it's why I try to get multiple entries from the same author whenever I can). I love the idea of being able to one day make Readers Digested a yearly tradition on Halloween and plan to take steps to making that a reality in the coming months. Authors who submit to have their stories in Readers Digested don't only receive a payment for their stories, but I will try my best to present them in the best light possible and not only feature them to new readers, but introduce them. That's my goal, ultimately. 

Thanks guys, 

Nick