Timeless Tales Going on Hiatus (possibly looking for new ownership!)

(Written by Tahlia Kirk, founder of Timeless Tales Magazine)

I've been avoiding this announcement for months, but it's finally time. The TLDR is: I'm putting Timeless Tales into long term hibernation. I'm strongly considering shutting it down permanently or transferring ownership to someone new. 

The backstory

2020

This is what's been going on with me behind the scenes: Back in March 2020, I was woefully behind with responding to Hades & Persephone submissions. I'd just landed a promotion at work that exponentially increased my responsibilities. When the big Covid lockdown hit, I was relieved beyond words for an excuse to slough off my social engagements for a month or two and focus on the magazine. 

After Hades & Persephone published in Summer 2020, I gave myself permission to take a nice long break. We'd decided that 2021 would be the year we'd move from Austin, TX to Sacramento, California and I wanted my entire focus to be on moving. 

Confident that I'd return to magazine business after we moved, I announced our Arabian Nights issue and left the submission window open for 9 months, making it very clear I wouldn't respond until April 2021 at the earliest. It was good plan and theoretically should have worked. 

2021

We bought a house and moved to California in February. In April, I received another promotion at work. Although, I needed to start reading Arabian Nights submissions, lockdown was finally ending and I was eager to get back into the world again. I was fully vaxxed and ready to PAR-TAY! Surely those submissions could wait a little longer?

We bought a house!

For a while, I thought I could compensate for the lost time by spending my extra income on expanding our staff. But there was only so much I could easily outsource and it takes time to find and train new people. 

Over the past 10 years, I've managed to keep TT running because my day jobs have historically been dull. Those jobs gave me large chunks of downtime that I filled with magazine work. However, the entry level tech writing job I accepted in 2019 has somehow blossomed into an actual career. I have a team full of nerdy coworkers. I've been managing a small group of technical writers. I'll soon be getting promoted AGAIN to become our writing team's first full-time trainer. Huzzah! 

My celebratory flowers in our freshly painted dining room

This is all wonderful news for me, but not great for the magazine. I needed to stop kidding myself and take a hard honest look at when I'd have time for the magazine again. I've already waited too long for that future day when I'll actually have free time again. The truth is that the magazine simply isn't compatible with my lifestyle anymore.

So while I'm sad to say goodbye to TT, at least it's not out of any personal tragedy. And who knows, I may find a way to either bring it back someday or stay involved after it finds a new owner. 

About Arabian Nights

If you submitted a piece to TT for our Arabian Nights issue, you should have received an email from me about a month ago, politely returning it to you unread. I did my best to email everyone who submitted, but if I somehow missed you, I apologize that you're just hearing this news now.

The future

Originally, I didn't want to announce my hiatus without a game plan for the future in place. But it's become clear that I'm not ready to make a final decision on anything yet. I'm currently in talks with a potential new owner that has a lot of potential, but I want to take time to explore my options

Right now, I'm open to fully transferring ownership to the right person/team, but I'm also not opposed to staying involved in a much more scaled-back capacity. 

If you have ideas or an interest in running Timeless Tales, send me an email at timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com. Do NOT leave a comment on this post. I don't get email notifications for comments, so I may never read it. 

Here are some of my basic qualifications for What I'm Looking For In a New Owner:

1. Computer skills: 
1. Google Suite: You need to be comfortable using Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, Google Drive, etc.
2. Website updates. TT's website is run on Wix, so no coding knowledge necessary, but you must understand basic SEO concepts and generally be good at tinkering with tech.
3. Social Media: Even if you hire someone else to handle the daily churn (which I highly recommend!), you should have an understanding of how to write content that boosts engagement. 
2. Disposable income: TT's Patreon page doesn't bring in much money. Maybe you can change that someday, but you must be prepared to cover upkeep costs yourself. I want someone dedicated to continuing the site's quality and committed to paying our authors/graphic designers.
• I'll talk nitty gritty budget details with serious candidates, but I currently pay approximately $2000/year in annual expenses + $1500 per issue. If you want to grow the magazine's reach, you'll want to budget even more for advertising.  
3. Free time: It takes countless hours to publish each issue and maintain a thriving community between issues. I'd hate to hand the reins over to someone who's stretched too thin to devote large swaths of attention to this project.

The current state of the magazine:

1. The website with the actual magazine hosted via a 3rd party service called Issuu. 
2. 2600 Facebook followers
3. 1050 Twitter followers
4. 840 subscribers to our newsletter (and growing daily)
5. A struggling Patreon account 
6. A GoodReads account (it gets a surprising amount of engagement considering how new the account is and we haven't spent a ton of time growing it). 

Be prepared to wait a very long time for a response. Nothing magazine related will be happening in a timely manner and I apologize in advanced if you're stuck waiting for weeks or months.

On an unrelated, lighter note, here's a video of my 2020 birthday where I got to hit a pinata!

If you want to follow my next adventures online, here's my info:

• Blog: missmystra.wordpress.com
• Instagram: @tahlia_mk 
• Personal Twitter: @MissMystra

Tick-Tock! Storied Imaginarium's Fairy Tale Salon With Timeless Tales' Tahlia Kirk Is TOMORROW, NOV 6 (Sign Up Now)

Enlightened Tutor by Howard Lyon

When our partner Tahlia Kirk, Creator and Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine, gets involved with a fairy tale event, you know it's going to be good. Tomorrow, Tahlia will be the special guest for The Storied Imaginarium's November Fairy Tale Salon, talking tales and retellings with attendees. It's a chance to ask those questions you've always had about "what makes a good fairy tale retelling?" and "how do you make an old tale new again?" and, if you're a writer, to pick up some writing tips along the way.

From The Storied Imaginarium:

Our Fairy Tale Salon series are online and interactive events (conducted via Zoom) during which you’ll get a chance to meet contemporary authors, editors, and illustrators who love fairy tales as much as you do! Each salon includes readings, an interview, an opportunity for you to ask our special guest questions, and a writing game! Come … join us in the land of faerie!

We're re-posting Tahlia's announcement below, in case you missed it, so you have her take on the fairy tale salon and why this will be such a unique opportunity. (And a little secret she doesn't mention: Tahlia is not only an excellent editor, she's a great storyteller and game master too! It's going to be a lot of fun.) 

If you're interested, don't hesitate to cick the link HERE and sign up! Not only is it tomorrow but spots are limited! (This is to allow for conversation and real dialogue among attendees and with the salon special guest.) Read on for details.

By Tahlia Kirk

Spend an evening chatting about your favorite fairy tale at the Storied Imaginarium's virtual fairy tale salon on November 6 (Nov 7 for Australia).

We're evoking the elegant Parisian salon of 17th century France, when wealthy women hosted gatherings in their living rooms to discuss literature and write stories. One of the most popular parlor games played at these salons was to retell classic folktales. Storytellers would use fanciful language of fairy tales to slyly slip rebellious commentary on aristocratic culture past the court's censors. I hope to share some of my favorite counter-culture tales with you and talk about what makes a retelling resonate. While this is more of a meeting-of-minds than a formal writing workshop, I think all fans of the magical and whimsical will enjoy our time together. 

Seats are limited, so sign up now to save your spot!

(Pic is my envisioning of the type of outfit one might wear to a modern literary salon 😅)

Coming Soon: A Virtual Fairy Tale Salon with Timeless Tales Editor Tahlia Kirk

Written by Tahlia Kirk

Spend an evening chatting about your favorite fairy tale at the Storied Imaginarium's virtual fairy tale salon on November 6 (Nov 7 for Australia).

We're evoking the elegant Parisian salon of 17th century France, when wealthy women hosted gatherings in their living rooms to discuss literature and write stories. One of the most popular parlor games played at these salons was to retell classic folktales. Storytellers would use fanciful language of fairy tales to slyly slip rebellious commentary on aristocratic culture past the court's censors. I hope to share some of my favorite counter-culture tales with you and talk about what makes a retelling resonate. While this is more of a meeting-of-minds than a formal writing workshop, I think all fans of the magical and whimsical will enjoy our time together. 

Seats are limited, so sign up now to save your spot!

(Pic is my envisioning of the type of outfit one might wear to a modern literary salon 😅)

A Hodgepodge of Timeless Tales News

If you follow us on Facebook/Twitter or receive our newsletter, you've probably already heard that we've released new editions adding poetry to issues #1-3 (Puss in Boots, Pandora's Box, and Twelve Dancing Princesses). Rather than repeat it all again, I'm going to focus on other news. But if you haven't checked out those five new poems, head over to our LIBRARY and get reading!

So instead, let's start this update off with a reminder that submissions for Hades & Persephone open up on August 25. Full details at https://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/submissions

What I haven't talked about on social media is the major facelift we've given to ALL our back catalog. Shoutout to our amazing graphic designer, Geoffrey Bunting, for spending almost a year working with me to make everything polished and uniform.

There's far too much new artwork to show off them all, but here's a sample:

Arthurian Legends

Arthurian Legends

Arthurian Legends

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Perseus & Medusa

Perseus & Medusa

Perseus & Medusa

Psyche & Cupid

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

 Still with me? Cool. Let's wrap up this update by talking about what's next:

1. I'm doing my very first public event on October 12! If you live in Central Texas, come on out to the Texas Teen Book Festival near Austin, TX. We'll have a booth and be giving out hard copies of our magazine!

2. Kindle Editions of all our issues will be coming soon. I've been wanting to offer ebook versions for ages, but it's been so daunting, I've procrastinated until this summer. Stay tuned for details!

3. We're still looking for a volunteer Marketing Assistant to join our team. More details on the original blog post.

4. I'm working on a book review for a collection of socialist fairy tales, so keep an eye out for that soon.

Join the Timeless Tales Team (Marketing Assistant Needed)

Are you interested in joining our team of passionate volunteers? We are looking for a part-time social media/marketing assistant to help us grow our audience. This is a remote volunteer position with a $50/month stipend.


Here's a list of what you'll be doing:



1. Focus on our Patreon page and give our patrons a little more love than we're currently able to offer. You'll also be creating materials to help promote our Patreon page more frequently on various platforms.



2. Work with our Social Media Manager, Carina, to schedule Facebook posts that you create. You'll primarily focus on creating simple graphics to promote our original content.



3.  Once you've mastered these two items, I eventually want someone to create and nurture a GoodReads page for us. Since we're a magazine, it seems like this is a platform where our fans probably spend a lot of time.

TO APPLY (Applications open until 8/30, but we'd like to find someone asap):


Email us (Tahlia and Carina) at timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com with a short explanation of why you think you'd be a good fit for our team. You don't need to send us a resume (although, you can!), but if you have any skills/experience that particularly stand out, mention those. No need to be formal.

Now, here's the important part of the application: Create a graphic using Canva.com (it's free!) that will promote our Patreon page. It needs to be sized for sharing on Facebook, but otherwise, the design/wording is up to you. Attach it to your email.


Here's a link to our logo pieces so you can incorporate them into your graphic.


Example below:

Timeless Tales Announces 3 Rapid-Fire Poetry Submission Windows

Devoted readers of Timeless Tales Magazine may know that we've only been accepting poetry since 2016. While poetry may not have the same mainstream readership of fiction, I've always felt that a truly great poem offers the same depth and complexity of a short story, but in a more compact vessel. Writers are born loving words and therefore, it takes so much discipline for an author to restrain their ever-flowing thoughts into such a tiny package. Once we started publishing poetry, I can't help but feel like it's a gap in our older issues.

I've also found times when an idea for a retelling has occurred to me, but none of the stories I receive  fit into that particular gap. I think, "Wow, I wish someone would send me a Puss & Boots retelling about a tiger!", but none magically appear in my inbox. I usually just shrug it off and move on. Until now.

We're trying something new this year. A normal full-size issue usually takes over 4 months to release (hence why we've never managed more than two a year!). So instead of a brand new issue this Spring, we are going to revisit our old themes and add one poem to each. And I'll even give some hints about what I'm hoping to read and what writers should avoid.

NOTE: If you have a great poem retelling that doesn't fit my hints, that's totally fine. As long as you're thinking outside the box, I can't wait to read it. But for goodness sake, please read through the original issue before you submit to make sure you're not repeating an idea we've already published. It could really save you time (or might inspire you with a new idea).

These submission windows will come and go fast, so don't blink or else you might miss them!

To submit, please read our submission guidelines. We will follow all the usual guidelines, but we will only be accepting ONE poem (okay, maaaaaybe two) per theme. Here are the deadlines:

• Puss in Boots: Deadline EXTENDED to March 4

• Hints: 1. I'd love to see a retelling where Puss isn't a house cat. Lions, leopards, griffins, and sphinxes are all encouraged. 2. Something that focuses on the often overlooked ogre encounter would be great. 3. A crossover with the Count of Monte Cristo (just because I think "The Cat of Monte Cristo" would be a fun title). 4. A crossover with The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz . 

• Pandora's Box: April 14-19

• Hints: The seven deadly sins concept already has a story in this issue, so unlikely to publish a poem with that angle. I'm kind of surprised we didn't have more submissions about the biblical counterpart to this myth (Adam and Eve), so you could try that as a potential twist. No promises I'll love it, but it's an idea. Oh, or what about the box being a volcano?

• Twelve Dancing Princesses: June 9-14

• Hints: Don't send me poems from the shoes' perspective, please. Or a poem with a ballet setting. We already have stories with those angles. What about mixing the tale with some Bluebeard elements? Or the 12 tribes of Israel? How about a crossover with Bluebeard?

Good luck and I cannot wait to see what you send me!

Vote for Timeless Tales' Next Theme

In case you haven't heard, voting is currently open for choosing Timeless Tales Magazine's next theme. While they often feature fairy tale themes, this time they are returning to their other love: Greek mythology.

Since opening up the poll a few months ago, Persephone has taken an early lead, but there's still time to give a boost to the other contenders. Visit their website to cast your vote now!

Here's how things currently stand: