This author leveraged the success of his podcast to put together an anthology of science fiction stories, which is now in its fourth volume.

by Edward Willett

In our public library in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, every science fiction and fantasy book bore a bright yellow sticker on the spine featuring a stylized atom with a rocketship for a nucleus. I methodically worked my way through the books bearing that sticker. Many were collections of short stories: to me, they seemed the heart of the science fiction genre.

At the age of eleven, I wrote my first complete short story, “Kastra Glazz, Hypership Test Pilot.” After a few more years, I started selling short stories and, eventually, novels. At science fiction conventions, I began to meet authors I once saw as unapproachable Olympians. I was on panels with them or went out to dinner with them, and I realized they were not, in fact, unapproachable at all.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2018. I decided to leverage my experiences as a newspaper reporter and TV and radio host and launch a new podcast focusing on the creative process of crafting science fiction and fantasy. I was thrilled by how many fabulous authors, many of them international bestsellers and major award winners, said, “Sure, I’ll talk to you.” The Worldshapers podcast took off with a bang.

A few months later, in April 2019, at the annual meeting of SaskBooks, the association of Saskatchewan publishers, a guest speaker talked about her success at Kickstarting anthologies.

Hey, I thought. I know some authors …

I began climbing the steep learning curve of Kickstarter planning, and as I neared the top, I finally screwed my courage to the sticking place, rolled up my shirtsleeves, mixed up a new batch of metaphors, and launched.

The Worldshapers podcast took off with a bang. I was thrilled by how many fabulous authors said, “Sure, I’ll talk to you.”

I reached out to my first-year guests and asked if they’d be interested in contributing either an original story or a reprint. Many were. I built the campaign. It ran over the month of March 2020, and despite the concurrent launch of the North American tour of the pandemic, it succeeded. The stories came in, and Shapers of Worlds became a reality.

I decided to do it again. And again. And again! Shapers of Worlds Volume IV has just been released—and the Kickstarter for Shapers of Worlds Volume V is probably running as you read this.

What sets these anthologies apart from most on the market is that they don’t have themes, such as (to name one I’ve written a short story to fit) what ancient gods might be up to in the modern world. Rather, they’re eclectic showcases for authors and stories of many different kinds.

In the first volume, I compared authors to potters, shaping worlds out of the clay of their own thoughts and experiences. The second year, I compared the anthology to a cabinet of curiosities. For Volume III, I compare the anthology to the prairie landscape, uniform on the surface but boasting fascinating ecological depth when you look closer.

This year, I went with food: specifically, the potluck dinner.

Every potluck is unique and yet satisfying. It’s almost impossible to leave a potluck feeling you haven’t dined sufficiently. Indeed, you’ll generally leave feeling pleasantly stuffed—or slightly overstuffed—but happy.

That’s my goal with Shapers of Worlds Volume IV and all the volumes that have come before it: happy authors showcasing their talents and happy readers sampling them.

And it all started with a podcast.

Edward Willett is the award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of all ages, and hosts The Worldshapers podcast, which features interviews with science fiction and fantasy authors about their creative processes. Edward runs his own publishing company, Shadowpaw Press, and is also a professional actor and singer who has performed in dozens of plays, musicals, and operas in and around his hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan.

You can visit Edward at his website, and connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.