April 14, 2010
-
The Xangans
This is the provisional cover for a collection of short stories, poems, blogs etc. by Xangans
Not a collection on Xanga of course – that already exists, and is called Xanga – but something that exists in the real world, that is called….
a paperback!
Yes, real paper, with a glossy cover, such as can be found on shelves in bookstores, and read through sunglasses as you lie on beaches, and pages that you can turn and get coffee stains on!
(This also includes a Kindle edition.)
I’ve had this idea in mind for a year or more, since I published Wake of the Raven, but I put it on hold until I’d had the practice of handling all of the publishing of Zorn
So I’m looking for contributors, typically people who are interested in seeing their work in print, but haven’t yet written enough to try for publication, or don’t want to pay for self -publication
Short stories, poems, articles, drawings, comic strips…. whatever you think you’re good at
If you’re interested, comment. Or message me, or email at grahamworth@hotmail.com
Frequently asked Questions starts here
Preferred format for submission is by word document
Preferred method of submission is by email attachment, to my address as above. This also gives me your email address, which I will need eventually.
Any non-public real names, street addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, or other personal details that I learn during this production will automatically be kept confidential, as is usual professional practice.
Consider: while you may have made a thousand blogs, publishing in paper format is not the same as Blogging.
1. You can’t edit it later.
2. You rarely get the chance to do this.
3. Publication in paper gives a credibility that blogging doesn’t.
All this adds up to >>>>>>>> writing carelessly and making a mess has more lasting consequences, so think and edit before you send.
Question: what am I looking for, short stories or blogs? Answer: a mixture of things, even as Xangan blog posts are on a mixture of things. However, the proportions will certainly be different.
Question: how will the proportions be different? Answer: in fiction, whether based on fact or fantasy, the work (novel, short story, poem or play) must have a self contained life that is independently of the author or reader. Once it has left the author’s hands, he can do no more to it, and once it reaches the readers hands, he will receive no more of it. It’s skill alone is the means by which the author entertains, fascinates or informs the reader, or fails to do so, and it has a “one shot” nature.
Obviously I’m looking for a high proportion if this.
A lot of blogging is more like a conversation, in that it may be added to as comments come in, or further blogs may carry on the discussion, arguement, quarrel, or Xanga drama. This won’t work in paperback publication.
I’m looking for zero of this. It can’t live in paperback format.
Some blogging has good ”shelf life.” For example, a blog on creationism versus evolution would address an issue that will still arouse passion a decade from now, or one on whether Michael Jackson was a tragic hero or someone we are better of without. But it, like a short story, must be self contained, carrying not only an opinion, but the arguments that support that opinion.
The proper term for this type of blog is an essay, or article, and we need some, but not so much as to choke the entertainment side.
Comments (152)
That’s a really awesome idea, and I’d definitely be interested in participating. Shoot me a message with the kind of thing you’re looking for, and I’ll see what I can find to submit.
I published a short story on Xanga a few years ago that wasn’t too terrible. I’ll dig it out and send you a link or an email, whichever you prefer.
Oh all right, I’ll submit to you.
I don’t write like a pro, and I don’t have a scanner for the sketching… Good idea though.
Oh wow, as a future writer I am so interested!
You’ve seem some of my stories, let me know if you want to use one or some.
I’m totally down for this.
@Lost_In_Reverie - @twoberry - @disillusionisreal - @maniac_rose - @RaquelHiggins005 -@Da__Vinci - Thanks for your positive response guys, and – disillusion is real – thanks for your manuscript. Yes, you did send it to me some time last year, as did a few other people. However, work and various other time-eaters got in the way, and in any case, I needed to dry-run by publishing Zorn before I went for this decisively.
(: I may consider this, even if I’m only fourteen -.-”
@sketchbooks - You’d better! Age has nothing to do with writing. Make sure you spellcheck. Kidding! Really. haha…
brain brain brain…………I haven been working on my short stories a bunch lately, but I don’t think they are up to par for sharing with people yet. :-/
@FoliageDecay - Dont get bogged down in The Paralysis of Analysis. I doubt that I had written as much as 1,000 words of fiction when I became intruiged with an idea for a novel. I stirred it about as a fantasy for seven months or so, then projected that I’d need 100,00 words, and started. I nearly quit after 1,000 words, because it was so clanky, but I said “what the hell,” and toiled on. After about 4,000 more I felt that I knew what I was doing. It’s all a matter of learning by doing. If you wish, email some to me. All entries are confidential.
@sketchbooks - There’s no age restriction.
I wish I had time….
Ah, the established writer among amateur writers offers a golden opportunity. I commend you on reinitializing this project. I shall search through all the post I have made through the ages and hopefully send a copy. I do have one suggestion, the comments are sometimes the things which make the weblog a success, perhaps those who enter entries should consider including one or two defining comment made. This might interesting to see on a shelf somewhere. How do you plan to format this anthology?As a fellow who is without a credit card, I will need to wait till I can convince my manager at my local library to purchase your wonderful books. I will eventually succeed. I use to work there so eventually he will surrender to my pleas. My plays were performed somewhere off Broadway. It was interesting to see them actually played out in real life. My work is always in a state of flux so I rarely post copies on Xanga. Perhaps one day you will see them. I also write books (nonfiction and fiction). When I get a chance, I will publish them and send a copy your way. I would love to get your opinion.
@Lost_In_Reverie - It’s great that you’re interested. I’ve expanded the original post to answer anticipated questions like this, as I can see the “whats” and “hows” will become complicated.
Sweet~
@WondersCafe - That’s a long comment, so I’ll take it a bit at a time. I will do the actual formating of the Word document that will be the “block,” or interior of the book, and we finally format it into a pdf file for trasmission to the printer. The format will be 9 inches high by 6 inches wide, and most of the text will be in 12-point Georgia font. I shall have B & W pics in the interior, which will be embedded in the Word file. I formatted “Zorn” myself, so I feel happy in that area.
@darkoozeripple - I felt the need to express myself fully whenever I am visiting your page since you have always left more than standard comments on mine. I hope it isn’t doesn’t occupy too much of your time. The formatting skills you possess are amazing. I use traditional formatting software for my plays and have given no thought to formatting my other works.
@twoberry - Word format by email attachment is good if you have it. anything I use must be made into Word to format into the block of the book. Fortunately, the text of HTML can be copied onto Word easily.
@disillusionisreal - I am glad to hear of your submission. Submission is good. Submission is in accordance with The Way.
@maniac_rose - I aren’t a pro, I’m an engineer. But since I was eleven I’ve wanted to write. Finally I attempted a novel and found I had a talent for it. Or so everybody who’s read it tells me. Docements and drawings can be scanned at most places like Staples Business Depot. They’ll email the scan to you for a few dollars.
@RaquelHiggins005 - @Carolina17 - Do you have anything written?
@bastetmax - I wish you had time too. I am massively busy this evening.
@darkoozeripple - Time change has me massively whacked. I have to sleep….
I have something down, it still needs some revising though.
And then of course there is the Kindle. The harbinger of death for the paperback some would believe.
@disillusionisreal - haha ^^
@RaquelHiggins005 - Better get busy. At the rate things are moving, I will be ready to format for publication in a few weeks.
@LadySavina - Kindle I count as being a form of paperback. When I used the term “paperback,” I was implying publication in a real-world, hold-it-in-your-hands, put-it-on-your-bookshelf, it-is-made-of-real-paper sense, rather than the cyber world of blogging. So “paperback” also means hardback, and I will in fact also be placing it on Kindle.
I’ll go through my xanga archives and see if I have something that might entertain. What’s the deadline?
@darkoozeripple - that depends on how soon you’d like it by. I.e., yes, I do, though it isn’t quite perfect and depending on how much time I have I could write another story with a concept I am somewhat fonder of, but that all depends on the time frame.
Sounds like a wonderful idea!
@saintvi - A good question, which I can’t answer precisely. I expect to be handling contributions from at least 20 people by the time I have sufficient wordage, and if I don’t chivvy them about it will go on forever. I want a word count of 60,000 in order to achieve 200 pages, below which the book will appear trivial. 10,000 words have come in during the 48 hours since I went public. Let’s say by the end of the month.
How are rights to this book and the material within going to be handled? Will we retain ownership and copyright of our material? Will we receive a share of the revenue or will you be the sole beneficiary? Alternatively, is this more of a community project with no plans for commercial distribution?
@Carolina17 - I would like to shoot for the end of this month to have all submissions in hand.
@seedsower - I have chewed on it for about two years, and presented it to The Faceless ones at Xanga about that long ago. A certain daily nuisance (called a job) caused a lot of time to pass without me acting on the idea. I had an experience that was both painful, frustrating and expensive when I published my first novel in January 2007. It was $3,000 of expensive. I gained the skills to personally handle the publication of my second in January of this year. An opportunity window opened this March, so I decided to go for it, and hope to have it published by the end of April..
@Chinkzilla - I’d also like to know the answers to those questions.I’d be willing to design a cover for you. I designed this one for another Xangan who’s publishing a series of chapbooks. You’d just have to give me an idea of what you want the cover’s theme to be as a starting point, and I can churn out some different illustrations for your approval.
@Chinkzilla - I will ask all contributors for what’s known as a “non-exclusive” agreement. That means that they agree to allow me to publish their material in “the work, provisionally to be entitled ‘The Xangans,’” but not elsewhere, and they are not prevented from publishing it elsewhere, nor do they loose any rights.The purpose is to use the skills I’ve gained the hard way to do one of the hardest things in publishing: bring unknown writers to the attention of the book reading public. As I’m one of those, it will benefit me. The community of xangans will like this, because it will benefit Xanga. Xanga as a corporation may or may not offer publicity. This is not a Xanga corporation project. This is a project by a writer (me) who is a Xangan, and it is offered to Xangans.The work will be printed POD by LightningSource, and available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc., as is standard with POD through LightningSource. It is extremely doubtful that sales over several years will cover publishing costs. Were I to be publishing this for a client, a charge of $1,500 would be pretty standard. I will receive profits, which are likely to be as low as $2 per book sold. If any contributor wishes to “buy into” the publication, then I will allow him to do so, share in sales to be proportional to the degree that he has bought in. I doubt that he will make his cash back.The primary purpose is publicity for writers, and it would be nice if basic costs were retrieved, but I doubt that they will be.I’m not expecting the
@methodElevated - I’m surprised that they haven’t been raised earlier, but you’ll see I’ve given Chinkzilla a lengthy reply beneath your post, so this will save me writing it out again. I’ll come back to you later re the cover.
@methodElevated - If you look in the early text of this blog, you’ll see “Zorn” linked through to the amazon product page. I designed the cover for this myself, with feedback from various Xangans, because I wanted to handle all parts of publication, having had a bad experience with the self-publishing company who published my first, “Wake of the Raven.” I’d be glad of your opinion on it. I dare say that some might consider it amateurish, but the actual glossy copy looks quite striking, and I’m stunned that I managed so much, having very little skill as a graphic artist.
@darkoozeripple - It looks very bizarre to me, like something a person would create while on an acid trip.The fonts are mostly what I would’ve changed, personally. The graphics themselves have potential, and it isn’t bad for someone who doesn’t claim to be a skilled graphic artist.
Well that’s not too bad. I once jumped through a window whilst under the influence of strange substances, but that’s many years ago. I puzzled by your dislike of the fonts though; someone else said much the same thing.@methodElevated -
I’m interested, but I’ll have to think about what I want to submit.
I may send something…
Cool
This is a great idea. I hope it works out for you.
So i just email it to you?
@darkoozeripple - Let me know if the ones I sent last year need some polish, I’d be glad to do it.
I’ll e-mail one in. It’s kind of an article, not a story. It was the post I got the best response on, so I guess that’s the one I wanna send in.
This is an awesome idea.
cooool
Oh man, I would totally love to do this, if only most of my posts weren’t about how much sex and vaginas disgust me…
1) What type of cover are you looking for? 2) Are you asking for First North American Serial Publication rights, single publication, or what? 3) We’re doing this for the print credit, or would revenue be split like royalties amongst the contributors, or is it cents per word, or is it flat rate submission? Not that I am trying to be picky, just trying to get an idea as to what is involved.
This is a cool idea.
I’m interested. I just submitted stuff to d_m_riggs’s Project X, so I think I’ll see what gets chosen for that (if anything) and what doesn’t before submitting anything here.
I’m definitely interested. I’m writing a couple different short-short stories (300 words, app.) for a Creative Writing class. When I’m done with them, I’ll send them to you. I hope I’ll be done before the end of the month. First drafts are due on Thursday, and we’ll see how fast I go from there.
@Simbathe2nd - ready when you are, Officer McKye.
@Vignettery - Okay…..
@TheTheologiansCafe - For all of us, I hope.
@embrown88 - Exceedingly.
@verified_but_still_denied - sure thing. Word doc format to grahamworth@hotmail.com
@Da__Vinci - Aaaaaiiiieee you sent me some last year? I don’t even remember, so I think I owe you an apology. A brief history of January last year to now: I went from being unemployed to being the head of an entire department in January, and lost my job completely due to internal political reaction in October. In the same week that I got the job, my wife lost hers by constructive dismissal. She is 13 months into an action for unfair dismissal, I am four months in. Someone very close to me developed cancer in May, and is now three months into a five-month regime of surgery and chemotheraphy, with which I’m closely involved. I asked a few people for contributions some time last year, and only got round to reading them two days ago. I formated ”Zorn” in December, and published in January. My mother in law broke her hip three weeks ago. I think I have some other major problems, but I can’t remember what they are right now. I made a list so that I know what to worry about next, but I’m too busy to look for it.Enough. Send me the doc titles, and I’ll do a search on the hard drive. Or send again to grahamworth@hotmail.com
@darkoozeripple - Quite understandable. I don’t really have any fiction, most of my stuff is biographical. If I read your post right, you’re looking for fiction.
I have three I’d be interested in submitting. Shall I narrow it down or just send them all to you in one document?EDIT: Oh wait. Fiction only? They’re all amusing stories that happened to me.
@disillusionisreal - I got your submission okay.
@darkoozeripple - Okey slash dokey! I can do dat.
@methodElevated - I looked at your cover for “Love Like a Molotov Cocktail to the Chest.” It’s good. My ideas for the theme…. I’ll message you on that. One thing I have decided on is that the size will be 6 inches wide by 9 inches tall, and the spine width will be approximately 1/2 an inch, the page count being projected at about 200.
@darkoozeripple - No, that’s the wrong one. I did the one with the heart drawing and all the Latin text.
@darkoozeripple - hahaha
@methodElevated - Better. I love blue. My first publisher passed the cover design to an artist – but won’t tell me who it was – who did did me a great one in mainly blue, which I rejected, very regretfully, as it didn’t stand out well enough. For good or bad, I specified more red and this was the modified cover.
great idea. good luck with it.
@methodElevated - My ideas for a cover theme are pretty sketchy, and I would probably abandon one that wasn’t working, and shoot for something else. Xanga is a sort of super-telephone that allows widely separated people who are capable of self-expression in text to join together in a sort of endless party, or forum. They strut their stuff in articles (posts) on religion, politics, social behaviour, morality, music. Sometimes they offer out to the community stories that may be pure fiction, or dramatised reality, and sometimes they do the same in poetry. Often they build empires of popularity, and some come here to bitch. Some come here to ask for help. I had a rather naive idea of a pic of a monitor, occupying most of the cover, in B&W. From the screen flows a river of pics, in colour, and in square format. I would have attempted this by photomontage. However a problem is that I don’t have the contibutor list yet, it may amount to as many as 20 or more, and also it already sounds to me a mess. I’ll think some more.
@curtainsopen - Thanks. It’s keeping me very busy. Feel like contributing anything?
Someone tried to do this a year or so ago through the Featured_Grownups blogring. I’ll be curious to see how it winds up.
@darkoozeripple - Really hum
@gwennieg - If you can locate a link to the person or article, that would be useful.
@joyouswind - no, not “fiction only.” I’m looking for a mixture, which will represent what goes on on Xanga. But I can’t take the everyday exchanges, which we who use Xanga skip over. I need those things that are condensations of skill. Short stories may be entirely fiction, or they may be the telling of a real story, cast by the author into the mode of fiction. Or simply told as “this amusing thing happened.” And also I’ll need a certain amount of straightforward blogs. If you want to submit, use grahamworth@hotmail.com
@PervyPenguin - I really don’t know how to answer that, lol.
Are you sure you want to call it “The Xangans” instead of something else? Would people who have never heard of Xanga even want to look at a book like that? Just a suggestion. You really have the potential to name such a collection anything you want, so why not be creative? I have a collection of essays and poems titled “The Holy Spirit of Life: essays written for John Ashcroft’s secret self,” for example. Aside from loving the author, part of what made me want to check out the book was the title. On another note, I think I will refrain from including myself
I am perfectly fine with being completely anonymous for the time being…I don’t want to die yet.
Now you’ve let yourself in for it: now you have to suggest a title. You have, by strange chance, been thrown at the very beginning of your Xanga career into communion with the Inner Circle. Many xangans are here years before beginning to suspect its existence; those who suspect are even now averting their eyes from reading this post further; they have no wish to bear the burden of dangerous knowledge. You have your challenge; act. Those who disapoint the Inner Circle prove to be…. accident prone.
@frumgirl - The present title is provisional, like the cover. But you are right in suggesting that the title is important. All authors learn this hard truth, that though the text within a book may make their reputation, this is only useful for further books. The initial one sells by what publicity they can bring to bear on it, and by the four facts of the outer cover, in this order: the appearance of the front cover, the title, the sub-title, and the eighty or so words of summary on the back, usually known as the blurb.
The Xangans, is a rather lame Title.I read one collection of Blog writers once acouple years ago…It was good but the writer who collected them was one of my fav’sSo his taste went through to the choices.Good luck with the Project just be careful with the PlagiarizeeeeeI catch something I Wrote in there and I will sue youWITH DUCKSAND SQUIRRELS(Kidding of course)Except for the DUCKS AND SQUIRRELS vague threat of eitherSexual/physical interaction (Bondage Squirrels?) MALLARD-thend-
Perhaps it is a lame title, but it does link the collection to Xanga, which we want, without using the name “Xanga,” which is copyright. Can you suggest a better one?
@frumgirl - Now you’ve let yourself in for it: now you have to suggest a title. You have, by strange chance, been thrown at the very beginning of your Xanga career into communion with the Inner Circle. Many xangans are here years before beginning to suspect its existence; those who suspect are even now averting their eyes from reading this post further; they have no wish to bear the burden of dangerous knowledge. You have your challenge; act. Those who disapoint the Inner Circle prove to be…. accident prone.
@kirbym - Oh yessum, do you remember the title of the collection? Or the author’s name? Is it on Amazon?
@Da__Vinci - no, not necessarily fiction. What we need is what reads well, whether fiction or a blog. In either case, it needs to have these qualities: it’s something that’s always of interest, or will be for a long time, and stirs people’s emotions.
though I don’t have anything to contribute, I have 3 recommendations:1. For publishing the books I recommend using blurb.com, that way you have the option to add photos and make the end product look all professional for publishing. :]2. For writing I recommend northernskylights for prosy short stories, merriej for poems, and roadlesstaken general writing3. For quality photos I recommend xtremepsionicAnd yeah, The Xangans as a title is too lame. Try something like “Not another [cliche subject here]“P.S. – you look like a younger version of Alan Rickman ;P
@nepenthium - I’ve been told the Alan Rickman thing before, again on Xanga. Strangely, there is only on day difference between our birthdays, but in different years. The other stuff I’ll look into.
@darkoozeripple - really?? so are you a feb 20 or feb 22 pisces?
Twenty-second, Pisces.
@darkoozeripple - Ha, there is an inner circle? All I’ve noticed is that a guy who calls himself a theologian and a girl who posts about makeup get way too many comments than I would ever be able to handle. I would also be terrified of being found out by my community if so many people started to read my stuff. All hell would break loose and my parents would say the kaddish for me (the prayers said when a family member dies). A title? Let me see…I’m really good at coming up with sexual/disgusting titles for my graduate papers, but this is different. Give me some religious theme like self-immolation as a form of protest during the Vietnam war or dirty Rinzai poetry and I will give you a title in a second, but I’m afraid I’m not very helpful otherwise. I could suggest something akin to Schlepping the Weltanschauungen, but that is just completely fucking stupid outside of religious studies and/or philosophy/theology. You could do a play off of the 19th cen. penny dreadful, which would emphasize that these essays are distributed to the common people (generally) of the virtual universe; I highly doubt many of the essays are “dreadful,” though, so you’d have to change that. The Penny Weltanschauung! Just kidding. Being in religious studies I have a fetish for excellent German terms. Just in case I’ve disappointed, I will provide you with my tentative MA thesis title in order to rectify any damage I might have caused. It will be called…wait for it: Bite Me: _______. I kid you not.
@frumgirl - It’s highly likely that “of being found out” would be better expressed as “when found out.” Let me try a little amateur psychology: is it perhaps the case that a part of you wishes to be found out? Here on Xanga you are able to act as a human being free of many constraints that irk you. This is addictive, and leads to further steps. You will perhaps not be surprised when I tell you that there are many people on Xanga – typically in their teens and twenties – who are, step by often painful step, broadcasting to the virtual world their intention to break free of molds into which their birth cast them. What an interesting world this is, full of change and surprises (giggles inanely.)I will probably stay with the unimaginative but direct, other than that I may loose the definite article: “Xangans.”
@Immane - Sorry to have been so long coming back to you. I’m evaluating contributions as thy come in. Cover: I produced a tentative cover in th eearly stages, and a xangan has already offered to do that. First North American Serial Publication Rights: I’m asking for non-exclusive publication rights, that is, no contributor is excluded from publishing elsewhere. The main objective is publicity. Publicity for the xangan community, and publicity for authors who want publicity. Revenues: I doubt very much that sales will be high, and therefore revenues will probably not meet expenses.
I’ll definitely send you something soon!
Awesome! I’ve definitely got some short stories that I’ve posted to Xanga that I’d love to see published in some capacity. I’ll send you one soon!This sounds like a phenominal idea; we’ve got some real hidden talents on Xanga.
Cool!
Someone did this before. I tried to participate. Then problems started to arise and suspicions mounted and as far as I know, the project died. Good luck.
@gwennieg - It was a lot more than a year ago, and it wasn’t on featured_grownups. I think it may have been promoted there, but as the current new host, I can assure you there’s nothing in the archives about it being run there.
I love this idea, so much.
@PervyPenguin - Why not do a graphics submission? http://www.xanga.com/thestandards are doing one. The final Ms. for printing is in the form of a long Word doc., and jpgs can be fitted into the text body, just like text. 9 x 6 inches paper size gives 7 x 4.5 inches text body size on each page.
is there a deadline? I have stuff to submit. But I already submitted to Project X, so I don’t think I should submit anything that I submitted to that, so I might wait until after those submissions are judged. If I can’t, then I’ll just submit whatever else I have written.
@JustPlainMorgie - I hope to be closed about mid-April, but this is flexible.
@WondersCafe - Re your suggestion of including some comments with a blog: that’s interesting, and thanks for the suggestion. However, there are problems with executing it. For one, it would be necessary to get permission from the commentors, who may consider that they have copyright to their comment. I doubt that they do, as comments aren’t ”works,” but rather reviews in a public forum. However, they may consider that they do.
@radicalramblings - I’ll take a guess that several people tried to act as committee. Bad idea. This is an artistic work, and needs one person who know what he’s doing. Hopefully that’s me. Or….. they felt that they needed various people’s advice, or help, or permissions, and couldn’t act without them, or they needed Xanga Corporations permission, or some such thing. That kind of thing could also be the death of it. Having been the route of writing, editing, formating etc. a few times, I waited until I had both free time and the skills, then acted alone. I’m welcoming advice and help from anybody, but depending on nobody. I put this idea to Xanga head office perhaps two years ago, and they didn’t answer, so I haven’t taken the trouble to ask them this time. Do you think I should/ If so, what kind of help could they offer, I wonder?
Ok I just submitted something ^_^
@RaquelHiggins005 - Thanks Raquel. I’ll get back to you soon.
@PervyPenguin - Do it! You have come out with some amazing posts before. Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase. XD
I’ll send a few of my better ones over, when I have a chance
I think I might want to contribute to your project. Is there a limit to how many entries we should send you?
I am interested.
@Roadlesstaken - No Limit. In practice I set few rules, and tightened the situation as it matured. I’m dividing the entries into three categories as they arrive: fiction (short stories that are independent of any blog format), poems, and blogs. Blogs are of course technically a type of article, or essay. I’m provisionally using an interior style of ficttion, poem, blog, and then repeat the cycle. I’m probably weakest on short stories.
@OhItWontBeForever - Harrass the wretch; bend him to your will!
@theacematt2 - Yessum good. To grahamworth@hotmail.com A pic for your bio is also good, a Real Name to go with screen name is good, but not compulsory, and a bio of about 100 words. I would like to close entries by 14 of this month, format and publish.
@randaness - Send. I want to close about mid-month. Bye now, busy busy busy.
@Roadlesstaken - visual format such as drawings or modified pics is also good. Page size is 6 by 9, so text or graphics area is 4.5 by 7, after margins are deducted (inches.)
@darkoozeripple - Alright. Would it be okay if I just send you links to particular posts I would like to submit?
@Roadlesstaken - okay.
@darkoozeripple - Good deal. You’ll be receiving a message from me soon.
This is a really neat idea.
@the_rocking_of_socks - if you want to contribute, my email’s grahamworth@hotmail.com By the fourteenth I’ll probably close to entries.
I love this idea. I just don’t know what I would submit, if anything.
hahahaha! Hopefully she gives in.
:D:D
@Meowmeowkimmaee - This is a point I’m going to try and address in a blog soon. The material is coming in steadily, and I have nearly two-thirds of what I need, but it’s taken weeks to get to this point. I want to reach as many xangans as possible, and as wide a variety. If you want to help, recommend this post, which is being updated constantly. Also you could do a short blog on it, and why you think it’s good. I’m now in the position of a cowboy, driving a great, mooing herd across the prarie.
I’m sure this has been asked before, but is there an age limit?
@wtf_turmoill - There’s no age limit. Xanga sets one at 13, so I should too, but I doubt that it’s relevant. I’ve found in practice that people’s ability to produce material and generally get their act together has little to do with age, or how much of a “name” they are on Xanga. However – be swift. I need to wrap this up within 10 days or so, and the material has slowed to a trickle, with about two-thirds of what I need.. So it would be good if you could recommend this post. I wwaant to get it out to as many people as possible
@darkoozeripple - *recs*
@wtf_turmoill - thanks. Ever bit helps, as the old woman said when she peed in the ocean.
What a neat idea.
I could have sworn I offered to design the cover for this. But I don’t see my comment on here. I am a graphic designer, and I want to design books. Secondly, a Xanga friend messaged me and asked me to please consider submitting something. Do I have to write something new just for this, or do you want an already existing post? Also is there a deadline?
This is a great initiative. I’ll send something in as soon as I can
And submitted
When is the submission deadline?
If you want to use the post I wrote, you may. Just throwing it out there.
@SheepShot - Thanks. No time to chat. Bye.
@PervyPenguin - will use. Bye.
@jacksoncroons - I would like to have everthing in by the 14 of this April.
@elgaberino - Not necessarily new. It would be nice if it was, but if I’d specified “new,” I’d still be waiting 2 years from now. I want everything in by 14 April, but I may have to extend a little, though I’d prefer not to. I’ll get back to you re the cover design. someone alreaady has that in hand, but – strange thought – a book has two side, doesn’t it!
@darkoozeripple - Grab and dash. Whoosh~
Yea I would agree, getting started is the slowest part, maybe followed by finding a good ending.
Hey…have you come up with a submission deadline, or are you still just toying with ideas at this point? I have some good, unpublished nonfiction (NOT blog-diary entries!), but I’m short on poetry that isn’t already either published or that I’m waiting to hear back from another potential publication about, and it would take me a while to work out a few more.Deadline or no deadline, this is a good idea. There is a lot of excellent writing out in Xangaland.
Do you want things that haven’t been posted yet, or could I contribute one of my better pieces from awhile ago?
@ReeserTheShadow - I’m way past ideas. As material comes in I’m collating and formating into the order that I want, which is better than taking the whole mass and doing it all at once. I would like to have everything in by 14 of this month, but will probably run over.
@shards_of_beauty - I’m shooting for minimum of 200 pages, and if I’d waited for people to produce this much on a “someday” basis, I’d still be waiting in two years. So used stuff is okay, because it’s only been read by a liomited number of people, but of course new is good too.
@darkoozeripple - Ok, one more question, would I relinquish the rights of whatever I contribute to you, or will copyright be such that if I chose to include my contribution in something I myself get published later I still have the right to it?
@shards_of_beauty - No, you would relinquish nothing. I intend to draw up a brief contract based on the one I signed when I published my first novel. I will need all the contributors to sign it, granting ”to the publisher” a ”non-exclusive license” to include their “work” in the “work” provisonally entitled “The Xangans.” Non-exclusive means you are not excluded from doing anything else with it.
@darkoozeripple - mmk, let me know what you think of what I’ve sent over. Maybe something of it is usable.
@darkoozeripple - My second attempt at replying, since the comment box doesn’t like it when I make faces… Anyway, I’m going to just go through what I’ve already got written and see if I have anything worth sending in. I’d hate to write anything new (and awful) and end up wasting your time that way.Thanks for answering my question though
i will get you some stories by this weekend. i promise.
@hilaw - You grew a mustache.! Hmmmmm….. It suits you! Stick with it.
@hilaw - I am relying on you as one of my best writers of short, atmospheric fiction. Do not fail, or your name will be stricken from every pylon and monument ion Egypt, like that accursed pharoa whose name no one now knows.Also, a pic of at least 4.5 inches real width, yourself or whatever you want to use as an icon. Your screen name will go underneath. do you also want your real name? Most people do. and 80 to 100 words of bio, Bye. Busy busy busy.
This sounds like a neat idea. I’ve taken to typing up narrative essays on my computer here and there. They’re all based on personal experiences and lessons learned. I’ll look to see if I have one to share.
@mizz_chan - If you do, you will need to be very quick. I officially closed for entries on the 14 of this month, and I’m within the last few days of assembling the 66 pieces entered into order for printing. With it send your bio info as on my “bio” post today, to grahamworth@hotmail.com