A year ago I set out on a quest to find the best weird stories on the internet. I looked at more than 500 independently published ebooks, many on Amazon's Kindle store, others on humble blogs and one embedded in status updates on Facebook. I found five excellent stories that readers of weird fiction would love, and a few dozen rough diamonds in need of further polishing. But I also found hundreds of books that were far from ready to publish, or might never be ready. So I wrote a checklist of seven signs to help indie authors find out if their book is ready to publish or not.

Since I started looking, the indie publishing revolution has grown stronger. Even as I was scouring the internet for self-published weird stories, Hugh Howey's science fictional Wool series was gaining hundreds of thousands of readers, a major publishing deal and the interest of film director Ridley Scott. Howey is only one of a wave of "artisan authors" making full use of new digital publishing technologies to put new writing out there. Like the music industry before it, the publishing industry is now embracing DIY authors who have already attracted a fanbase.

So this year I am setting out to hunt down the best independently published sci-fi. I'm throwing the net wide to any and all science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird and speculative fiction. Last year I was seeking the weird stories that might never otherwise see the light of day – and I still want to know about these – but this time I'm also searching for the sci-fi blockbusters of tomorrow. I love great storytelling, and I believe the next Game of Thrones is already being written and, possibly, self-published. If it is, I intend to find it and share it with you.

But I need your help. Do you know any independently published sci-fi gems? Is there an ebook smash hit you want to shout about? Maybe you are the author of a potential sci-fi blockbuster and you're ready to show it off. Follow the instructions below and tell me all about it.

1. Nominate your weird stories

You can do this in the comments below. Please let me know the title, author and where I can read more (this might be a link to a website or blog, or a listing on an ebook store). Only add one link or your comment will be filtered as spam. You can include the opening sentence of the story if you like, but no more than that. And if you want to include your own review of the story, please do.

2. Help spread the word

You can link back to this article from your blog or website. Or share it on Facebook, Twitter or other social networks.

3. Join the hunt

I would love to know your opinion on any of the stories nominated. I am only one perspective, so if you want to share yours please do so in the comments below. You can follow my responses to the stories on Twitter @damiengwalter.

And, as I'm sure they will be asked, here are the answers to some likely frequently asked questions. If you have any others please leave comments and I will answer as soon as I can.

What qualifies as sci-fi? Your call. Science fiction, fantasy and horror stories certainly do. And I'm open to any kind of writing that is weird or speculative in nature. I'm interested in books with great sci-fi storytelling, and also books that transcend genre all together.

What do you mean by independently published? Ideally published either by the author or an independent publisher. Books from major publishers already get a lot of attention, and this is a search for works that might otherwise go unseen. But if you think there is a neglected masterpiece from a major publisher, please go ahead and nominate it.

Can I nominate my own story? Yes. In fact, I hope you will.

I'll be returning in a few weeks to write about the best stories I've found in the great sci-fi hunt. Let the search begin!