A little while ago, I was published in an anthology of short stories called Boxer Shorts Redux, with all the proceeds from that book contributed to a website, to keep it going. The book was a joint effort between everyone on the site. You can find it here:
Anyway, an idea occured to me the other day that maybe I should try putting a book of that nature together myself. Now, I haven't thought about the particulars yet, I'm just sortta throwing this idea out there to you to see what happens. Everyone who wants to, could submit a story to be put into it, and we could donate the proceeds to some form of charity. Because, you see, the problem with it is that I will have to pay to have this thing published, and I can't afford to pay everyone a set rate for their stories. So the easiest thing to do, is to donate all of the proceeds to a charity.
So, if you're interested just post here and we'll try and work this thing out. I am not messing people about with this. I want to do this. And if you're serious about your writing, and don't mind helping out a charity along the way, then what have you got to lose?
Some quick stuff:
-I will act as Editor, pulling the whole thing together, and will contribute a piece of my own.
-I will need a front cover, or an image to form the basis of a front cover.
-I will be paying for this, so it will cost you nothing!
-The book will be in high quality paperback.
-We need to decide upon:
The theme of the submissions. The length of the submissions. Whether to allow essays, poetry, etc etc.
At the moment I'm pretty much inclined with going with a themed book. So then the problem becomes "What genre?"
But this is all stuff we can work out at some point.
For now, give me a yell right here if you're interested in doing this with me.
Many thanks, friends and Romans,
Tony.
EDIT: Just to make it clear: I want to do this to give everyone a chance at being publshed. I also want to help raise some money and give it a good cause. This book will cost you nothing. Only your time and energy. I will pay for it. I will edit it, put it all together, and send it off to the printers.
All you gotta do is help me decide what type of stories we will want to include, and then go and write.
That's it. No bullshit.
[This message has been edited by tonyleehealey (edited October 04, 2004).]
posted
I do believe you mean well, if nor no other reason than I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. The trouble is that I'm not sure you've thought through this clearly enough. First there's reading stories and selecting, then editing, printing, and marketing costs.
Charity always sounds so nice in principle, but there is another problem with what you have proposed. (And not just that you have not selected a charity yet.) Beginning writers are in a position to volunteeer their time and money to charity as everyone else in this country is, but I would hesitate to suggest their stories. Why? Because they won't sell. You might guilt a few people into it with the charity angle, but basically a bunch of unknown, unpublished writers contributing to an unknown press is not a viable model.
If charity is what's important to you, I would get a reputation and then approach big names about donating a short story. If getting new writers published is what's important to you, there are cheaper alternatives than book publishing...such as web publishing. As far as I nkow, only the Writers of the Futuer Anthology has become big enough to sell new authors to people.
I guess what I'm saying is that even if you're trying tomake donations to charity, you are still proposing a business model and it does not sound as if you have done nearly enough research yet. I wish you the best of luck on your venture and hope that you can come up with something workable. God knows I don't have a degree in business myself.
posted
Well, I can see where you're coming from. I know how to edit well, I know who to send this to, and how much it will be to make it a reality. I'm sure that, like with Boxer Shorts Redux, all we'll need will be some good word of mouth. Even if 200 people brought it, that's a worthy donation to a good charity. Who knows? It could buy a few hospital beds or something?
And I'm not offering everyone the chance of a lifetime. I'm just offering the oppurtunity to see their writing in print and perhaps do a little good along the way.
The printer that I will use (I know the manager of Inkblot Books) puts the book straight on Amazon, etc etc. It will have an ISBN... it will be a proper book.
posted
And how can you pay for the upfront costs? And who owns the rights to the stories? And how much of the cost of the book is actually a profit? And...?
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I would be very much interested in contributing to this anthology, especially given that the proceeds would go to charity. I would also be willing to help both with cover art, and in seeking out free advertising venues (and perhaps some near-free, with out-of-pocket expense on my part) to attempt to boost sales.
One charity worth considering might be Asha for Education (http://www.ashanet.org/), an essentially overhead-free organization which supports and funds the establishment of self-sustaining secular schools in rural India, providing education to children who otherwise would recieve little or none. I came across this group several months ago, when helping a friend to establish a satellite chapter at the University of Chicago, and was impressed by both the efforts of the organization and the spirit of selfless giving exhibited by its volunteers (to disclose a conflict of interest, I've been working with Asha - literally 'hope' in Hindi - ever since).
It seems particularly appropriate that an anthology of prose and/or poetry should support the education of those who might otherwise miss out on the written word.
Edited to correct a typo.
[This message has been edited by cicero (edited October 06, 2004).]
"And how can you pay for the upfront costs? And who owns the rights to the stories? And how much of the cost of the book is actually a profit? And...? "
And then to answer:
How I will pay the costs doesn't matter. All you need to know, is that when I rob that bank, I won't be using LIVE rounds...
All the individual authors will own the rights to their own respective stories. There is a contract you will have to sign (already taken care of) that will also state where the money from sales is going.
All profit from the book will go to the designated charity.
It's not as frightening as you all may think.
*****
Asha sounds like a good charity. And you say it means Hope? That could be a theme for the stories in the book, couldn't it? Hope.
ASHA. Has a nice ring to it...
Although, this project could go anywhere...
TLH
[This message has been edited by tonyleehealey (edited October 06, 2004).]
posted
My biggest concern is about self-publishing. Even though the plan is to donate the proceeds to charity, because you are paying to publish, it basically amounts to self-publishing.
Posts: 1473 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Yes it will be self-publishing. Honestly, if anyone feels they'd rather not submit to this, then don't do it. I only want people to contribute to this book if they really want to. Because, self-published or no, it will mean your work is published. Just not in the ordinary fashion.
Worst ways, we'll be able to raise a few quid for a charity, and members of your family will have a book with one of your stories in it. And believe me, it's just a nice feeling.
*****
I have two ideas for the theme of the book.
One is to have it based around a word, like HOPE or REVENGE, or RETRIBUTION, or something like that.
The other idea is to give everyone an element they must write into their story. For example, a collection of stories that involve THE IVORY KEY, a mystical object of unknown origin and power. (Remember this is just an example) We will tell the story of how the key winds up from one person to the next, through say the sixties, seventies, eighties, nighties, and then to the year 2004 where its journey ends.
It's just an idea. Something I thought of on the bus.
We are going to need far more people to contribute to this though. I hope more come by the thread...
posted
Tom, I'm not trying to rain on your parade, and the idea of writing for charity is certainly an admirable one. But I did feel some concern over some phrases in your post-- for example, "published... just not in the ordinary fashion." And "will have an ISBN number and be available from Amazon"-- if you're working with self-publishers, the odds of running into a scammer are rather good, even if you're already well versed in the pros and cons of vanity publishing.
posted
I actualy thank you for posting that. I too advise everyone to go look at that stuff, and THEN make your minds up. But I am published on the link I posted. Go to it, check it out.
posted
Looking into Inkblot, I came across their FAQ. Looking over the information, it seems to allay most concerns.
On the subject of a theme, I'm for a word- or concept-based anthology, rather than object-centered. Following an object is a neat idea, but requires us to be on virtually the same page for it to flow right (at least if we tell a linear story).
There is a great deal of both creative freedom and thematic unity in writing to a concept or word. The same and very different story can be told many ways.
[This message has been edited by cicero (edited October 10, 2004).]
posted
Hope sounds good; it has a certain conceptual but nearly tangible nature that seems perfect for storytelling. (Also, a particular idea occured to me for that subject, while not so much the others.)
If there aren't many takers here, would it be alright to solicit some non-Hatrack writers, also? Or would we expand our entries or such somehow?
posted
this would be cool and I would love to do it but I would be afraid of the "hope" theme getting really sob-story-ish. If I thought of a really cool story it would be good. What type of genre would we be doing it in, fantasy, sci-fi, literary.
posted
^ About hope, it should be fairly easy to steer away from a series of over-sentimentalisms. There's room for everything from Star Trek and Star Wars to Lord of the Rings and the Shawshank Redemption within the subject.
Churchill defying the Buzz Bombs, Apollo landing on the moon, Mahatma Gandhi marching to the sea, Erikson and Columbus seeking a wider world - hope is written all troughout history, large and small, in the belief that the incredible is possible.
There's room for plenty more than sobbing.
As for the genre, I'd go for allowing a range. Someone who doesn't like SF might find a Fantasy story interesting, or a Literary or Mystery entry might be a gateway to the others. Basically, I'd say 'keep it accessible.'
posted
I'm definitely all for leaving the genre up to the writer. As far as a theme, you name it, and I'll be game.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
I'm not so sure about a range...If the theme is a word, it might make for too much variety and the anthology won't hold together. But same as wetwilly; I'll write if you name a theme.
Posts: 1075 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Wow! All these replies. You know, I came back here to check-in on the thread, saw it slipping down the list and thought "Oh well, I guess nobody's interested."
Apparently I was wrong! I can only say that I am very pleased.
I love the idea of having a book centred around the theme of hope. For hope, I envisioned a post-apocalyptic world, and a woman trying to survive on her own. What I'm trying to say is, stretch the word as far as you like. Sci-Fi, Horror, etc etc, as long as at some point you return to the theme, and it has some importance in your story. So I'm asking for some deep thinking, and lending something more to your story than just a refference to a word.
I'll leave this with you guys and gals. But at the moment I'm inclined to go with hope.
Or maybe someone can suggest something better. Once it's all set, we'll start writing!
posted
Well, if there was ever something my family and I needed this year, it was hope. I can really understand how hope alone can keep you going. So why not do some writing to give someone else a hand? I'm in.
Regarding the setting, as I understand it: a woman's POV in a post-apocalyptic world.
This reminds me of The Postman, by David Brin. In his novel a fairly pathetic character is trying to survive in post-apocalyptic North America. He robs a dead postal worker for his uniform and acquires letters and satchel while he is at it. He is overwhelmed by the response everyone has to his wearing the uniform and encourages their response so as to be taken in and fed. He continues his charade and the hope he sees in their eyes transforms him, until eventually he is redeemed by that hope, to become more than was he before.
posted
^ Indeed; particularly given that Asha, the charity tentatively benefitting, is involved in the relief efforts in India.
Posts: 26 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Your idea appears sound and I would be interested in donating a story. You may want to check out authorhouse.com a self-publishing house, if concerned about scammers. They were recommended as a source for new writer in the 2005 Writers Market.
The charity should be a worldwide one. like UNICEF or something, not one limited only to a particular country, that way everyone wins.
posted
ok, so if TLH doesn't respond, let's do it ourselves
a good idea is worth bringing to fruition
i'm willing to open up some space on my bulletin board to provide a place for work and comment, as this project would not be sponsored by Hatrack it would not be fair to ask them to use their bandwidth
but, let's wait and see if TLH weighs in
mm
[This message has been edited by mikemunsil (edited January 19, 2005).]
posted
Hope, in all its forms, in a genre of your choosing, I believe, from a woman's point of view. There was a suggestion of setting it in a post-apocalyptic world.
There was some concern that if there were too many genres chosen, that it would not hold together as an anthology.
I think that if the stories are strong enough, there should be no concern.
posted
^ That was one particular story idea TLH threw out.
Quoting from relevant posts:
quote:I love the idea of having a book centred around the theme of hope. For hope, I envisioned a post-apocalyptic world, and a woman trying to survive on her own. What I'm trying to say is, stretch the word as far as you like. Sci-Fi, Horror, etc etc, as long as at some point you return to the theme, and it has some importance in your story.
quote:Churchill defying the Buzz Bombs, Apollo landing on the moon, Mahatma Gandhi marching to the sea, Erikson and Columbus seeking a wider world - hope is written all troughout history, large and small, in the belief that the incredible is possible.
There's plenty of room in the word, in the idea of hope; exercise your imaginations.
[This message has been edited by cicero (edited January 23, 2005).]
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