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Hey everyone! A few months ago, I asked if Palladium Books was still publishing novels, and the responses mainly implied that they weren’t. Unbeknownst to y’all, however, I had already asked that same question to Palladium themselves through the Help Desk. Now, four months later, they responded!

While it is still uncertain at the moment whether or not the manuscripts I send will be accepted, I do feel honored that Palladium is giving me a chance. I don’t want to mess this up, which brings me to my question. In the world of Rifts, where most of my stories will be based on, there are a LOT of topics I could use as a basis for a story. So, I figured I’d come directly to the people who might read this in the future. What area of the Rifts World do you think I should cover in my first story? I personally think that Triax and the NGR would make an interesting story, but I want to hear from y’all first.

Thanks for the help!

I kind of feel the lore of Rifts is just about impenetrable, there's just so many damn areas to look at that its hard to really get into any one spot aside from core book areas.

Honestly, if you wanted to get a story printed and have it be attractive and new, to me at least, you'd set it in the new west

I'd like to see some phase world stuff or something that crosses from the dirty cyberpunk world of the lower levels to the burbs into the violent supernatural world outside in the wasteland.

I think you should go with Triax and NGR since that is where your interest seem to be.

Oh I will, I just had another idea I'll be doing first.

Anthologies are always a good start. We should get takes from life in the vampire Kindoms, Atlantis, the NGR, and other places from all the Worldbooks.

The fact that the Palladium crew isn't rejecting ideas for fiction out of hand isn't exactly a ray of hope for aspiring authors hoping to get published. I suggest that, if you want to write some Rifts fiction, you do it for yourself, for fun, and share it with the community. THEN submit it to Palladium. There are others who have written and shared Rifts fiction (Josh Hilden, Dead Boy, me). I suggest that, if you do decide to submit it for publication, you post a draft somewhere online for the community first. If you don't, then the unsolicited manuscript agreement will bar you from doing so unless your work gets rejected, and Palladium doesn't send rejection slips as far as I know (my own novel manuscript has yet to get any response after 6 years).

That said, I'll move on to the actual subject of this thread. If you're wanting to write a story set in Rifts, you should read Sonic Boom. That'll give you some idea of what many fans think of when they hear the term "Rifts Novel." Palladium's first attempt at publishing fiction was a multifaceted disaster: badly written, atrociously edited, and improperly printed. The story of how that novel got published in its final form is a tragic and cautionary tale that is far more interesting than the actual story. I heard the sequels were less cringe-inducing; I couldn't bring myself to spend money on them.

Once you've read Sonic Boom, pick up "Tales of the Chi-Town Burbs." It's the lesser-known and far, far better book of Rifts fiction that Palladium published. As the title suggests, it's an anthology of short stories, and their quality ranges from pretty good to excellent. Comparing the two should give you an idea of what right reads like.

Based on that comparison, here are some tips I have on writing good Rifts fiction. I think most readers and writers would agree with these:
+Show, don't tell. Don't explain characteristics of people or things that can be demonstrated.
+Keep the story focused. The Rifts setting is huge, complicated, and confusing. Don't bounce around between too many points of view or settings.
+Don't get carried away with fantastical elements in Rifts. Be choosy about which fantastical elements you include.


Finally, before you get too far into channeling your inner Tolstoy, I suggest you create your own rules for the kind of story you want to write. Here are some rules I wrote for myself when I wrote up my Rifts novel manuscript about 6-7 years back:

1. Something important must change in every entry.
2. Relationships need some back and forth, or they get boring.
3. Keep humans human. Heroes do what's needed, but they don't always do it well.
4. Include some mundane with the fantastical.
5. Wounds are 1% infliction and 99% recovery.
6. Violence has consequences. Don't hide or sugar-coat them.
7. Happy endings, if you have them, must be bought and paid for.

Actually, Triax and the NGR would probably be a pretty good setting.
It's isolated enough that you could have a pretty clean conflict, just for starts.

By the way, let me know if you want a beta-reader, or if you'd like any feedback or writing advice.
I'm not bad, and I know the world of Rifts pretty well too.

I would advise against this course of action. It could actually reduce your likelihood of getting your manuscript published by risking reduced sales (those that grab your free version before it's taken down). I know it's been a concern in the past. Instead, you might pick a select group of fans to review your work and give you feedback. Then, submit and cross your fingers. Good luck.

If your main interest is getting a manuscript published, I think the best approach would be to establish a relationship with Palladium by submitting other works and getting them published first, get Kevin interested in some Rifts fiction second, and write the story third. Starting with an unsolicited novel manuscript is unlikely to garner much interest.