The Queer Halloween Stories Bundle Is LIVE NOW!
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Get the decorations ready and the costumes out of the closet, 'cuz we are so back! We raised over USD$23,000 for over 80 individuals/teams last year and we're coming back for our third year to do it again~
What is the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle? How do I participate?
The Queer Halloween Stories Bundle is a mutual aid bundle directly supporting queer creators of narrative-driven media that relate to themes of horror or the Halloween holiday. This includes both digital and physical games, zines, comics, books/novels, and other forms of media that can tell stories! The QHSB sale runs from October 1 to November 1 and is sold for either $60 or $10+.
The submission period is open until August 3, 2024. To apply to the bundle, please do the following:
- Fill out this 22+ question Google Form to verify your account, submissions, and opt-in status
- Join this jam page and submit your projects
Applying is free, and you may submit up to 3 projects for consideration. Both steps must be met as the Google Form is for verifying developers while the Jam Page is what itch staff will use to import the bundle submissions. The answers on the Google Form must match your submissions to the jam page in order to be considered for the final bundle.
Disclaimer: If you receive any form of financial aid from a government entity that may be jeopardized if you earn over a certain amount in a specific time period, it is your responsibility to keep accurate records for verification and recertification pursuant to program requirements, as well as reporting changes to the relevant agencies in the appropriate time period. The Queer Halloween Stories Bundle team is not responsible for what each bundle participant does with their share of the bundle proceeds or how it impacts them.
What can I submit to the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle?
We accept Digital & Physical Games, Books/Novels, Zines, Comics, Audio Dramas, and Bonus Content (ie. artbooks, soundtracks, etc.) for completed works. We accept both commercial and PWYW titles starting at $0. We are not currently accepting standalone assets (art, engines, frameworks, plugins, audio, fonts, etc.) intended for use in developing games.
Developers who wish to submit pages with pre-orders intended to retail commercially upon release should send an email to queerhalloweenstoriesbundle@gmail.com before submitting to clear approval. Please note that project pages with PWYW tips enabled that are included in bundles will count as "purchase keys" even if paid content is added to the page later, meaning that customers will gain access to that paid content upon release.
What are the submission guidelines for the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle?
To submit your work to the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle, it must meet the following conditions:
Requirements for all Submissions:
- The Creator and/or Teams involved in making the content in the submission must be queer or majority queer
- The Creator and/or members of the Teams must be all 18 years old or older
- Submissions must not contain copyrighted assets (stolen sprites, music, fonts, IP, etc.)
- Submissions must not promote or encourage violence of any nature towards minority or marginalized groups, including minors (depiction of violence towards minorities framed in a negative context is not considered promoting such acts)
- Submissions must not contain, promote or encourage any use of Web3 technologies, Cryptocurrencies, NFT, or AI Generation. Submissions must also not utilize any of the above technologies
- Submissions must contain a customized thumbnail/cover image, preferably containing the logo or title of the project
- Submissions must either contain a minimum of 3 screenshots if possible, a playable web version/demo, or a customized page with descriptions of the project contents
- Submissions must list content warnings pertinent to the title (see this list for examples of possible content warnings)
- R-18/Adult/NSFW works are allowed but must be tagged appropriately and cannot contain explicit imagery in the thumbnail/cover image
- Accounts must be able to utilize itch.io's "Collected by itch" payout option
- The owner of the itch.io page must submit their own project (please have each applicant complete the application themselves)
Requirements for Games:
- There must be a strong narrative element that drives gameplay
- Commercial games in early access or active development must contain a demo and pre-order file. Developers contributing a pre-order must have a previous track record of releasing complete games (2 minimum), to be judged on a case-by-case basis
- Early Access game builds must be functional without game-crashing errors for the majority of players, with the latest build being updated within a month
For Zines, Tabletop Rulebooks, and other files delivered in .pdf format that are not considered Books/Novels, pages of the work must be customized to a certain degree (something like Arial text on plain white pages is considered not customized)
For all submissions, at least ONE of the following conditions must be met:
- Can be classified as Horror of any type (including creepypasta, yandere, "killing games," etc.)
- Take place on or around Halloween
- Include monsters/aliens, demons, ghosts, or elements of magic/witchcraft, etc. as the main focus or with a general atmosphere of either "creepy," "unnerving," "unsettling," OR "spoopy" or whimsical in a fantasy setting
We prefer projects that contain queer characters, themes, and/or narratives, but this is not a strict requirement.
If you're unsure if your project fits the theme or other criteria, ask yourself if it reminds you of Halloween in any way. You can also post a message on the Jam Forum or email us at queerhalloweenstoriesbundle@gmail.com for us to review.
Applicants may submit up to 3 projects. The moderation team reserves the right to reject projects for any purpose as they see fit.
What criteria will submissions be accepted on?
Our moderation team will judge submissions on these criteria, in this order:
- Other acts of community work done (does this applicant host another mutual aid bundle, moderate a positive creator community, write advice articles, etc.?)
- Quality of work
- Length of work
- Financial need of applicant
Submissions are voted upon by the moderation team and must meet a minimum amount of approvals to be accepted. Applicants who opt out of receiving funds are often accepted, so long as no violations in their submissions are found.
Additionally, creators who often collaborate together may be examined closely, and we may prioritize the financial needs of one of those collaborators in order to ensure that funds are distributed as fairly as possible. We acknowledge that itch.io currently does not support true revenue splits within projects and apologize for this inconvenience.
How can I increase the likelihood of my submission being accepted?
The following bullet list is not to be taken as hard and fast rules, but rather suggestions:
- Submit projects that are newer or of significant length
- Submit your best work
- Applicants who submit their projects early have a higher chance of being accepted, as we have limited slots for distributing revenue and attempt to review entries as we receive them to reduce the burden on the moderation team
- Your itch.io page should be customized and look appealing (view Easy Releasy by Jannik Boysen for help on this)
- User Interface or Page Design should be customized and pleasing to the eyes
- itch.io profile, Website, or Social Media must explicitly state that the Developer and/or Team identify as queer in some form if using that method of verification (please don't make us hunt for this information, as this slows down the screening process)
Please submit full URLs for questions that require links. We anticipate receiving a large number of submissions, so please do not create extra work for our moderation team.
What is the price point of the bundle? How are funds split? How much can I expect to earn if I opt in?
Following the common pricing structure of similar bundles, we will host a $60 Edition and $10 Pay-What-You-Can Edition of the bundle that both contains the same projects in order to allow lower income customers to contribute without jeopardizing their financial situation.
The funds that this bundle earns will be distributed equally between all developers who opt in to receive the money it earns through sales on itch.io. Last year's Queer Halloween Stories Bundle 2023 raised over USD$23,000 for 80+ individuals/teams, and based on data from other mutual aid bundles, we estimate that each developer may earn approximately $300-$400 or so depending on how many applicants we receive. We will set the final earnings goal to reflect this. As this is the third year that the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle will run, we are still gathering data as to the potential performance of this bundle.
How long is the Google Form application?
This application contains at least 22 questions, though you may not have to answer all of them. If you are submitting more than one project, you will be asked to answer 13 more questions per additional submission, up to a maximum of 3 projects. We suggest that you set aside at least 20-25 minutes to complete this application.
What happens to information I submit into the Google Form application?
The information you submit to us will be kept confidential and is solely used for context when considering your application. Applicants who wish to opt into receiving funds will be asked a question about their financial need. You may decline to answer this question with the understanding that if your application is rejected, you cannot submit an appeal. Additionally, any photos uploaded for verification purposes will be deleted afterwards.
If I submit my project to the bundle, do you own it?
Nope! The QHSB Team will not claim ownership of any projects selected to participate in the Queer Halloween Stories Bundle. We may use screenshots and videos of your game to promote the bundle on social media, as well as ask you to provide Streaming/Review Keys to members of the press.
Ready to submit your project? Be sure to fill out the Google Form!
Credits
Candy the Cyclops was originally designed by inkymaw. This year's promotional banners are illustrated by DarkChibiShadow and Knickknack PJ, with logowork by Knickknack PJ.
This year's moderation team is composed of