Anthology and Schedule
Alicia Henn
reading time, or other support to an anthology?
At November's meeting we had a productive brainstorming session about
producing our own anthology.
We're crediting Steve Carper with the idea, whether he likes it or not,
of pulling together a collection of stories set in the future Rochester
region. I think Steve had suggested that global warming be central to
the stories, too, but I don't know if we have to limit it to that.
Tonight we talked about first putting out a collection by our own
writers, then using that collection to focus discussions with the
larger writing community, university, business and political leaders,
talk show hosts, high school students, and such about the future here.
We might even solicit a second set of stories from that larger group.
Other ideas included holding a conference about Rochester's future with
panel discussions. Also, pulling in other types of artists including
graphic artists.
Eric Scoles' wife Janice has been training to start up a small press
and has generously offered to edit the collection. We'd need a couple
of other people to help evaluate the stories, too.
As far as an outlet for it, we could put material on our website, or go
with something as simple as Lulu to print hardcopies as needed.
Names suggested included "Visions of Rochester "(maybe we could get the
car dealership as a sponsor?), "Tales of the North Coast", and "The
Here and Then".
Perhaps we could coordinate our efforts with Writers and Books.
We also discussed a schedule for the first half of next year. I
realized in typing it up, that we forgot the magazine review, so I put
it in March and moved Superpowers to June. So it looks like this:
January 1 - Non-U.S. SF/F. There is brilliant material from writers
outside the U.S and it doesn't get enough attention here. Our own
experts in Chinese, Russian and Romanian speculative fiction discuss
with us what we need to know. David Pascal - Want to tell us a bit
about the Japanese scene?
February 5 - Energy in the Future - with petroleum expert Prof. Ben
Ebenhack from the University of Rochester. The Jetsons didn't have to
worry about how long oil will last, but we do. How long do we have
before a big change is forced on us? What technologies are on the
horizon that might take up the slack? How will it change the world?
These are things we need to think about in our own future-building.
March 4 - Review of Oct/Nov 2007 Asimov's. Get your copies now!
Carol Emshwiller, Isaac Asimov, Robert Reed, Liz Williams, Greg Egan,
and much more.
April 1 - Humor in SpecFic - Come on! We can't let an April first
meeting go by without having some fun. There is some hilarious material
out there. Bring out your favorites. Bring your kids. What made Anansi
Boys work? Were we supposed to laugh at Starship Troopers?
May 6 - Nebula Vote. Our own discussion and vote on the
Nebula-nominated short stories, novelettes and novellas.
June 3 - Gender, Power and Superpowers
How have superpowers changed with our society? Wonder woman not only
had to save the world, but make sure that her man got the credit for
it. Things are completely different now, with Rogue and other strong
female characters or are they? In the Incredibles, why couldn't the
Mom get the muscles and the Dad be super-accomodating? Is there a
difference between superpowers and magic powers? Is Superman TOO super
to be believed?
Alicia
janice
Rochester," so I think we may be safe using that. I really like The
Here and Then, too. How about combining them: Visions of Rochester:
The Here and Then?
delancey
> reading time, or other support to an anthology?
I'd be eager to help.
I'd recommend we do invitations, and then have a blind-peer review of
unsolicited stories (else it will be too hard to pick and choose among
ourselves).
I prefer a name that gets best of both, like "Here and Then:
Speculative Fiction from the North Shore." Better yet: "Here and
Then: Speculative Fiction from the North Shore, Volume 1."
cd
Nank...@aol.com
delancey
> FORWARD 2,
Let me guess, it's called "Urban Renewal."
Rick Taubold
Nank...@aol.com
> I just sold a story set in Rochester (I destroy the entire city) to FAST
> FORWARD 2,
Let me guess, it's called "Urban Renewal."
Rick Taubold
on that.
I also have an idea I could use for a story contribution and set it in
Rochester. It's definitely futuristic and spec fic. I was considering for
a possible short novel, but it's only an unfinished short piece at this
point. What length stories are you looking for? I'd be willing to write it
and submit it as long as I can retain the rights on it in case I ever decide
to expand it.
Rick Taubold
www.ricktaubold.com
"More Than Magick"
Medallion Press
Ben_C...@urmc.rochester.edu
something and/or provide editorial/review support if we go with the
process Craig suggests.
-Ben
On Nov 7, 7:06 am, Alicia Henn <queencarcin...@mac.com> wrote:
Alicia Henn
An editor:
Janice
Talented writers willing to contribute stories:
Craig
Ben
Nancy - set in ruins?
David P. - perhaps a realistic, non-fiction urban futurology piece
Rick
Alicia
Eric?
Suckers willing to help out with supporting, evaluating, and bringing
wine to meetings:
Craig
Ben
Rick
Alicia
Eric?
Tom?
A committee is born.
Steve C. - Can I tempt you with scones? I make a mean one.
Possible titles:
Visions of Rochester: Here and Then
Here and Then: Speculative Fiction from the North Coast Vol. 1
A proposition that we send out invitations and use a blind-peer review
process for unsolicited material.
Craig - I'm guessing that means we'd submit stories to Janice and she'd
re-distribute to the review committee sans names. Is that correct?
Open questions-
Story length? I was thinking short stories or novelettes. We want a
range of "Visions" without giving too much weight to one by its long
length. What do you guys think? Janice?
Dates? Think we could get invitations out in December, set a March
submission date, then get stories selected by May and move toward
production in the early summer? I have absolutely NO idea if that is a
reasonable schedule.
I think podcasting at least some of the stories would be a good thing,
too. We can put them on the website.
Tell me if I missed something. All ideas and efforts are welcome here.
Any other thoughts?
Alicia
delancey
> process for unsolicited material.
> Craig - I'm guessing that means we'd submit stories to Janice and she'd
> re-distribute to the review committee sans names. Is that correct?
That's right.
cd
Eric Scoles
I will definitely have at least one submission, as long as we aren't
closing submissions before mid-January. (I don't destroy the city --
just not thinking that big, I guess -- but in at least one
future-vision, it gets kind of ugly.)
I imagine a lot of web-related, marketing-related stuff that we'll need
to do, and that I'll need to help out with that. So, put me down for
support.
--
--
Eric Scoles | esc...@antikoan.com
Sally Caves
header seems to spin off from a prior discussion. What's the nature of this
anthology and is it theme oriented? Who's asking for it? I would dearly
love to contribute a story to it, but I would need better details. Editing I
could probably only do in my spare time, which hasn't been much over the
years. I still don't even have a TTh teaching schedule next semester,
although it's improved: I teach only one class on Wednesday.
Sally/Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "delancey" <dela...@oswego.edu>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 8:09 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology and Schedule
>
Sally Caves
Rochester. When is this thing required? word limit? theme? science fiction?
futuristic? alternate history? could it be fantasy?
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alicia Henn" <queenca...@mac.com>
To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: "therese1 '" <ther...@rochester.rr.com>
Sally Caves
key. ???
Due JANUARY? ;) ;)
Sarah
janice
bit. January would be a more realistic date to send out calls for
submissions, at least for me. (I plan dates around my academic
calendar.) It's after the holidays; plus, I need a little time to talk
with a few people inside and outside of the group about our publishing
options before we make final decisions. (btw-I think podcasts and also
books on tape are a great idea.) I think sometime in April or May
would work for a submission deadline date. That gives people plenty of
time to write and revise and submit. I'm done with classes in May,
which would give me all summer to get the submissions pushed through
the peer review process and edited. We could publish in the fall,
then.
Content: short stories and novellas sound great. However, I agree with
Dave P that we should also include non-fiction. I think we should also
accept drama and poetry if we can get it.
What I plan to do next: I will contact Steve Huff at Writers and
Books. I took a class from him about starting a small press. Plus I
know him from Brockport. He used to be the editor at BOA, and I
believe he will be a good source of information on publishing
options.
Dave P: Eric tells me you have experience helping clients set up small
presses. I would like to talk with you about that.
A question:
I'd like a clarification on the blind peer review process and what is
meant by "unsolicited manuscripts." Do you mean you would like EVERY
submission to go through this process, or just submissions from those
who are not on the above list (who are not R-SPEC members)?
-Janice
tom gillett
Is it Coast or Shore? I can't help but wonder if we'll become the new
south coast, if things get as bad as some predictions. Wish I had heard
the discussions about the use of Here and Then. If we're planning to
get others in the community involved in thinking about the future of
Rochester, then using Rochester in the name might help draw readers.
Maybe one of the stories will suggest a great title. Tacking Volume One
on the right sort of title is an idea I like.
Does anyone know what criteria W&B uses for choosing the All Rochester
Reads books? This might be a great volume for them to choose and a
great way to involve others in discussions.
Kim
delancey
determine how much time they should be given -- but no way in hell can
you ask someone to do the favor of providing a story, and then say, by
the way, give it to me right now (and anything less than, say, six
months sounds like right now). Then we can back into an unsolicited
schedule by way of matching the solicited schedule.
How does one decide on solicitations (that is, the hard press
requests)? The obvious list is the local highest profile pros:
Kress, Hubbell/Howell, DiChario. But does one go beyond the area, and
ask, say, Sawyer because he's Nick's friend and visits the area
often? Or Carl Frederick because he lives in Ithaca, which is close-
ish? (I'd vote strongly yes for asking Frederick, by the way -- he's
nice and he's productive.) But I suspect this extending of reach is
problematic because we'll have no money to offer....
Or: will it anger too many people to have a two-tier process?
cd
On Nov 11, 9:01 pm, "Sally Caves" <sca...@frontiernet.net> wrote:
> Count me in, hon! I could adapt something I already have in mind for
> Rochester. When is this thing required? word limit? theme? science fiction?
> futuristic? alternate history? could it be fantasy?
>
> Sarah
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alicia Henn" <queencarcin...@mac.com>
> To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
>
> Cc: "therese1 '" <there...@rochester.rr.com>
Alicia Henn
> meant by "unsolicited manuscripts." Do you mean you would like EVERY
> submission to go through this process, or just submissions from those
> who are not on the above list (who are not R-SPEC members)?
My interpretation was that we'd invite some established writers that
aren't regular R-spec members, but have roots in the Rochester area.
Nick comes to mind, as well as others at Writers and Books. Everyone
that we didn't invite, including our members, would go into the stack
for review. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want my work put
in a volume next to Nancy's unless my story is found good enough in a
blind taste test. I've had enough embarrassment in my life already.
Alicia
Alicia Henn
reviewed. I think it is important, though, to make sure that we're
offering the best of what we've got. Maybe we should talk more about
specific names in a meeting rather than on the list?
I was thinking that we'd put our heads together over this at the next
R-spec meeting, but we've got a lot of way-cool stuff to cover in the
next meeting, with Dana and Pat giving us demos and a discussion on
entertainment forms beyond what we have now.
Maybe we should get together at a separate meeting. What do you think,
Janice?
Alicia
janice
Yes, I think it will help to clarify whether or not one wants the
anthology to be an R-SPEC member only thing (or an R-SPEC member thing
first), or if one wants to open it to the entire community. (If it's
open to the entire community then it won't seem fair to only make non-
members go through the review process.) And I think it will help to
define what is meant by community. Will people have to be current
Rochester residents? Or will they have to have lived here at one time?
Or will residency not matter so long as the story is about Rochester?
Eric Scoles
What's the usual practice when "inviting" contributions -- does one
evaluate teh contributed work to see if they're acceptable, on thematic,
content, or even quality-related grounds?
Put another way: If we invite, can we then decline?
I would think we'd have to be able to do that.
--
--
Eric Scoles | esc...@antikoan.com
janice
good idea.
Suggestions for a meeting date and time, anyone?
Nank...@aol.com
Put another way: If we invite, can we then decline?
I would think we'd have to be able to do that.
delancey
> reviewed.
That's why you need two tiers.
Eric Scoles
Not sure I'm following you: Are you saying some people don't get reviewed?
I'd have a problem with that.
If the concern is offense, consider that anyone we "invite" specifically
is likely to be someone who's been "reviewed" by editors many times.
Presumably they won't have a problem making a cut on quality grounds;
including them in a review process should if anything actually raise the
overall quality standard a bit by providing a positive example.
Pat Rapp
I assumed the invitees would not go into the blind review process. That
would defeat the purpose of inviting established authors. Their names go on
the cover to sell books, and there is a certain amount of trust that can be
given once someone is at Kress-level regarding quality and publishability.
(Ok, so all invitees are not at Kress-level, but they're way beyond the
general slush pile as far as a local anthology goes.)
I have not talked to Dana yet about the December meeting, but I bet we could
fit in some time to talk about the anthology before or after the demos.
Pat
Pat Rapp
campaigns. We could ping him for input.
Also, the Monroe County Library System just received a grant from NEA to do
"The Big Read" which is another community promotion of reading. They will be
doing "Fahrenheit 451" during April and May, 2008. I'll be meeting with the
team in December and will get more info on what they're doing and what their
future plans are. I'd like to work in some way for r-spec to be involved.
Any interest from you guys? It would be a chance to get ourselves on the
radar screen and position us as a valid, useful resource. I have no details
at this point, but will in the next month or so.
----- Original Message -----
From: "tom gillett" <tdgi...@frontiernet.net>
To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 10:52 PM
Subject: Re: Anthology and Schedule
delancey
> would defeat the purpose of inviting established authors.
Exactly.
Linda G
to work on... Does the story have to be set in the city itself, or can
it be in the surrounding area? Is fantasy OK? Maybe what we need for R-
Spec members is a formal invitation in the near future detailing the
exact criteria?
I'd love to help with the process, but my evenings are crazy full
right now - it's hard to even get to the R-Spec meetings, so I
probably won't make many meetings. Maybe I can help with the reading
part when we get to that point?
Linda
janice
"Pat Rapp wrote:
> I assumed the invitees would not go into the blind review process. That
> would defeat the purpose of inviting established authors. Their names go on
> the cover to sell books, and there is a certain amount of trust that can be
> given once someone is at Kress-level regarding quality and publishability.
> (Ok, so all invitees are not at Kress-level, but they're way beyond the
> general slush pile as far as a local anthology goes.)
Hmm...Even if we reserve the right to decline invited submissions, 1)
wouldn't that mean putting those submissions through some kind of
review process, and 2) don't we have a problem, then, of deciding who
we invite (who we can 'trust') and who we don't? I don't think there's
any question that the experienced authors we would want to invite
would make the cut. Plus, they are more used to this kind of thing and
probably have tougher skins that the rest of us. But what about those
whom we didn't invite? How would some respond to not receiving an
invitation and being forced to go through the review process knowing
that others were not asked to do so? Wouldn't we end up in a position
where we had to invite just about anyone in or somehow affiliated with
the group? And if we did that, why bother to open it to the community?
Why not just have a group anthology?
pat rapp
guarantee that they'd want to be included. And who's considered an
"established" author? A number of R-Spekkers are published.
What about this? Try picking a couple of Big Names -- Nancy and Rob, for
example, because they've written tons of novels, billions of short stories,
and are also great speakers when it's time to promote -- and throw everybody
else into the review process. The really good stuff will work its way to the
top of the pile anyway, and that's what we want -- really good stuff.
-----Original Message-----
From: r-s...@googlegroups.com [mailto:r-s...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
janice
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 9:48 AM
To: R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association
janice
I'd like to hear more about why you prefer a two-tier process. Perhaps
I am overlooking something. Personally, I am totally opposed to it, as
you may have already guessed. Here is the main reason why:
A two tier system is inherently unfair. Who do we relegate as second
tier, second class authors? Why do some get special treatment? It's
like saying to unpublished authors, well you can't have this job
because you've never had this kind of job before. (Or you have to pay
higher interest because you've never had a loan before. Do we move on
to saying you can't have kids because you've never had them before?)
If we give special treatment to a few, then we create problems for
ourselves. Who gets to decide the special few? (Isn't that in itself a
peer review process?) And if we give special treatment just to avoid
alienating two or three people (who we're not sure would feel
alienated by a peer review process), then we risk alienating dozens of
other people for the sake of those few, who as Pat pointed out, may
not contribute anyway. Also, if everyone goes through the same
process, whether they were solicited or unsolicited, then everyone can
feel like his or her work was meritorious rather than feeling like it
was somehow superior or inferior.
Nank...@aol.com
Alicia Henn
Stories by invitees wouldn't be automatically "in".
As Nancy said, professional editors do reject stories that are invited.
We would probably get stories from authors that wouldn't contribute otherwise, though, if we invite them.
Alicia
Alicia Henn
If an invited story has major problems, it won't make it.
Agreed?
On Monday, November 12, 2007, at 10:40AM, <Nank...@aol.com> wrote:
>for what it's worth to the discussion, I'm willing to throw my story in
>anonymously with everybody else's.
>Nancy
>
>
>
>************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
>
>>
>
janice
With that 'settled,' should we move on to hashing out details about
submission types? :-) Or should we save that for a meeting? Several
people have inquired about genre and length and setting. It sounds
like people already have some great ideas and want to get started!
btw: Don't worry, Alicia. I'm not too upset. :-) And I probably won't
get that 'upset' about anything else. That one thing, however, did
possibly conflict with one of my core values, so I felt I had to speak
up.
On Nov 12, 10:43 am, Alicia Henn <queencarcin...@mac.com> wrote:
> Great. Then let's just go with a jury to blind-judge all of the stories, invited or not.
> If an invited story has major problems, it won't make it.
>
> Agreed?
>
SteveC
Let's put on a show!"
Then the reps from ASCAP and BMI show up and demand royalties.
I did a fair amount of research into this, both for the proposed
anthology and because I'm starting a press to publish my blog. It's a
business, not an enthusiasm. A good deal of upfront money is needed. I
bought a block of ISBNs and bar codes. That was over $500 right there.
Printing does not cost that much per title, but it is a real cost and
the price breaks are severe at the lower end. Professional cover
design is more expensive than printing is.
How will the money be raised? How will the money be collected? How
will the money be distributed? Who will report to the IRS? Do we need
a business name, or a bank account, or an accountant? Websites,
shopping carts, and shipping costs all run into money. Who pays? Who
is to benefit? Is it entirely volunteer run? What happens when the
workload gets heavy? What happens when the inevitable snags occur and
the release date gets postponed? Who gets to decide what? Who is in
charge? Is everything subject to popular vote?
I'm not trying to throw cold water on the idea as much as I'm saying
from experience that there are a million details that need to be
worked out. We need a separate meeting on this, yes. And probably many
more after that. I'll be happy to attend and show you my scars.
Steve
janice
It was not my understanding that R-SPEC was planning on starting up a
press as a group. If they are, I am happy to help with that. If they
want to work on getting the anthology published through a large press
or other small press, I am happy to help with that as well. But Eric
and I are also seriously interested (and were interested before
mention of this anthology) of starting our own small press, and plan
to tackle many of these details and expenses ourselves, regardless of
what happens with the proposed anthology.
Creating websites is Eric's specialty; plus he works for a marketing
firm and may be able to get us a good price on cover design.
One way to defray expenses would be to open the anthology to the
community and run a writing contest with modest submission fees.
If the anthology were published through a press we created, we
wouldn't even expect to make any money on off a project like this, but
would certainly donate any proceeds back to the group (if legally
possible) or to a charitable organization of the group's choosing.
This will obviously be easier to discuss in person. Anyone able to
meet before the December R-SPEC meeting?
pat rapp
NEVER made a deadline. Ever!"
He's been publishing HazMat since 1996, with his own money and a volunteer
staff. Volunteers are full of enthusiasm, which is great. But they will not
keep up momentum (or workload) like a paid staff will. I know this from
experience -- I have let the HazMat website stagnate because paying work
always takes priority.
Sounds like we need more workers -- people to read and make content
decisions, and also a set of people to work on the business end.
It's good to know all this, Steve.
-----Original Message-----
From: r-s...@googlegroups.com [mailto:r-s...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
SteveC
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 12:31 PM
To: R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association
Subject: Re: Anthology
Alicia Henn
Anybody free Saturday or Sunday?
Alicia
Eric Scoles
Our graphic and layout options are on a pretty wide range from very cheap to
very dear (and very good).
W.r.t. cover design, we actually have a LOT of low- to no-cost options. We
need to have an idea of where we want to go with it, but depending on how we
want to place this thing, something really "primitive" (e.g., student work
or street-designer stuff like you see all up and down Monroe) could be a
real marketing point.
That's not even taking account of the fact that we have designers involved
with the group. I'm assuming we would want to discuss that (though probably
best in private) before we moved on to anything else.
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
delancey
> like saying to unpublished authors, well you can't have this job
> because you've never had this kind of job before.
These folks would be asked by us in part because they get a lot of
requests and are not going to submit to an open call. Now, there is
no convention in writing for soliciting a blind review, so we'd mark
ourselves as oddballs, if not rank amateurs, if we ask a pro for a
sub, and then ask that they send it with no name on it.
Hence, I don't think that we can keep both solicitation and blind peer
review without two tiers.
I like blind peer review among ourselves to prevent the obvious
pressure we all feel to accept work by each other because we like each
other. I grant it may be impractical since we are such a small group.
Of course one reviews solicited stories; that's given.
cd
Jonathan Sherwood
Jonathan R. Sherwood // Sr. Science & Technology Press Officer // University of Rochester // 585.273.4726 |
Dave Henn
>
> Hmm, this has more than a whiff of "Hey, gang. The old barn is empty.
> Let's put on a show!"
>
> Then the reps from ASCAP and BMI show up and demand royalties.
>
> I did a fair amount of research into this, both for the proposed
> anthology and because I'm starting a press to publish my blog. It's a
> business, not an enthusiasm. A good deal of upfront money is needed. I
> bought a block of ISBNs and bar codes. That was over $500 right there.
> Printing does not cost that much per title, but it is a real cost and
> the price breaks are severe at the lower end. Professional cover
> design is more expensive than printing is.
>
> How will the money be raised? How will the money be collected? How
> will the money be distributed? Who will report to the IRS? Do we need
> a business name, or a bank account, or an accountant? Websites,
> shopping carts, and shipping costs all run into money. Who pays? Who
> is to benefit? Is it entirely volunteer run? What happens when the
> workload gets heavy? What happens when the inevitable snags occur and
> the release date gets postponed? Who gets to decide what? Who is in
> charge? Is everything subject to popular vote?
One partial solution is to incorporate R-SPEC as a not-for-profit
corporation and have it be the reporter of any income, the purchaser
of any ISBN blocks, the entity arranging for all aspects of the
anthology. The Board of the corporation, its officers, and such would
be of the "membership" to date. I have a colleague who does business
law that might be able to provide some guidance.
--
Dave Henn
Dave...@Gmail.com
Eric Scoles
I think we have a miscommunication, here.
When you say "two tiers", it seems to me now that you mean "name gets
stripped off before the story is sent to a review panel."
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
janice
But we are amateurs. :-)
I'm confused:
"Of course one reviews solicited stories; that's given." That
statement, to me, contradicts, "Hence, I don't think that we can keep
both solicitation and blind peer
review without two tiers."
Are you simply suggesting a different review process for solicited and
unsolicited submissions? But why would we have to ask a pro (or
anyone) to send a submission with no name on it? The name could easily
be hidden by someone who was not part of the review committee?
We could incorporate R-SPEC as not for profit. And there may be other
reasons for doing this besides the anthology. From the publishing
standpoint, I remember Steve Huff warning the class that there are
problems with going not for profit, one of which is having to elect a
formal board of directors. This may not be a problem for group,
though, since no one person wants control over the organization. Off
the top of my head, I don't recall other potential problems. I will
dig out my notes for more specifics. Steve, perhaps you recall some
details about this? Dave P likely knows more as well.
janice
press? If so, it might be worthwhile to look into working with them.
delancey
> stripped off before the story is sent to a review panel."
Look, I'm not eagerly fighting for this or anything, just clarifying
my initial suggestion; it was only a suggestion, but the suggestion
was: tier one, solicited not blind (name not stripped off); tier two,
unsolicited blind (name is stripped off).
cd
Eric Scoles
I can't speak for anyone else, but that wasn't clear to me.
It looked to me as though you were suggesting that solicited manuscripts
shouldn't be subject to review. That's what I originally asked for
clarification on.
For what it's worth, the mechanics of the review process don't need to be
something that the solicitied authors know or care about (sorry, Nancy,
you're stuck in teh sausage factory on this one with your eyelids pinned
open). It's not like we're going to ask them to make changes to address
Higgenbotham's 2002 paper in _Journal of Insect Pathology_. (Though it might
be a good acid test to see what would happen if we did...)
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
Alicia Henn
Let's save clarification of these details forwhen we can sit down in person, okay?
Email has a way of losing verbal nuance and sometimes making things more confusing than they need to be.
We need a time and a place to meet.
Who is free this weekend?
Alicia
janice
are a ton of details we are going to have deal with. And there are so
many possible ways of doing things that it's just going to take time
and this kind of back and forth to iron them out. Doing it in person
will likely help.
Any one else game for meeting this weekend?
SteveC
before making any decisions on how to solicit stories for it.
Is it to publicize the group? To call attention to speculative
fiction? To promote Rochester? To further a cause? To educate the
public? To add more people?
Once you have the book in hand, what are you planning to do with it?
Is it just a vanity project? Is it a public contest? Is it an annual
event?
This is very much like running a convention. SF groups would
automatically do one because that's what other groups did. And then
they'd wind up fighting, split, or defunct because of the work, the
conflicts, and the ego clashes.
Getting together a small group of professionals to solicit paid work
for a themed anthology is standard. Everybody knows ahead of time what
it is and how it works.
This is something else, and I don't yet understand what it is. You
seem to be wanting to create a new form from scratch. You have to
understand that will take time, probably much more time than you
suspect. And it will take an especially long time if it is something
that everybody needs to have consensus on. Everybody on this thread is
approaching the matter from wildly varying viewpoints.We aren't
talking about the same thing, whatever that thing might be.
Let's slow down and figure out what this notion entails before making
any other decisions whatsoever.
Or else somebody can just stand up and proclaim that they are in
charge and it will go. like. this. That will be a _huge_ timesaver.
{g}
Steve
Steve
Alicia Henn
Steve - this was all your idea. We took it and ran with it, possibly in
different directions.
From our meeting last week THIS is the purpose of the anthology:
To have a centering piece of fine speculative fiction work for our
group.
That's what R-spec is all about, right?
Once we have at least a first volume, we'd like to use it to start
larger discussions with the public on "Visions of the Future of
Rochester"
That would - 1- draw attention to the group
2 - promote our writers
3 - promote thinking about the future in Rochester
Most importantly, it would give us something to hold up as an example,
something to hold meetings at the high schools and libraries about, and
something to get on the radio about.
Something to say, "THIS is the good stuff. THIS will make you think.
THIS is what we need to talk about."
Alicia
Alicia Henn
queenca...@mac.com
Check out my blog at http://r-spec.org/blog/3
SteveC
On Nov 12, 7:20 pm, Alicia Henn <queencarcin...@mac.com> wrote:
> Once we have at least a first volume, we'd like to use it to start
> larger discussions with the public on "Visions of the Future of
> Rochester"
> That would - 1- draw attention to the group
> 2 - promote our writers
> 3 - promote thinking about the future in Rochester
That's a mission statement, not a plan.
Sorry. I just really hate mission statements. {g}
Steve
Eric Scoles
Alicia, I feel like you have pretty well stated what we talked about on Tuesday night. Very lucid.
I would add just one thing:
Since I've been coming to these meetings, a lot of us have talked about wanting to make something interesting -- something that would help us think about the stuff we want to think about. Something to work together on.
This may or may not work as an anthology, it may or may not be a big fantastic success in terms of external validation -- what really matters is that we make something that helps us grow as writers and thinkers.
Plans are great. But there are times (many of them, in my experience) when you have to move forward. If you know the direction you want to go in, sometimes that's enough. I think this is one of those times. Otherwise, you just hang out under the eaves, dry and safe but not going anywhere, and not really learning anything more about how to get there.
Personally, I'm prepared to make a few mistakes. Let's go screw some stuff up, whaddya say!?
-- -- Eric Scoles | esc...@antikoan.com
Alicia Henn
> stuff up, whaddya say!?
Hear, hear! I'm not so naive as to think that this will be simple, but
I want to get it done even if that means making a few mistakes.
We have a goal, so now we can work out plan A. In January, maybe we'll
have a plan B or a plan C or a plan J, but this is a goal we can
accomplish.
We need to put some ink where the R-spec mouth is. We know good spec
fic. Let's show it.
Alicia
Alicia Henn
briefly! ;-)
Alicia
Nank...@aol.com
And hey, the idea has lured Jonathan out from under his rock, however
briefly! ;-)
Jonathan Sherwood
Jonathan R. Sherwood // Sr. Science & Technology Press Officer // University of Rochester // 585.273.4726 |
delancey
Didn't I see you in that show at Carper's barn?
Sally Caves
Monday December 10 I'm giving a talk at the UR.
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "janice" <janu...@yahoo.com>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 7:38 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology
>
> Yes, Alicia, I think that getting together at a separate meeting is a
> good idea.
>
> Suggestions for a meeting date and time, anyone?
>
>
> >
>
Alicia Henn
meeting.
The next weekend chance for me is December 1 or 2, just before the
R-spec meeting.
Is a night during the week better?
Tell me what nights you're free.
Alicia
Sally Caves
masters that are invited, and the rest is by submission. It's a two-tiered
process. I'm not sure how Rob Sawyer would respond to an invitation and our
final salvo: oh, submit it blindly, by the way. Nancy's offer was very
generous, but I'm not sure a Rob Sawyer would respond so.
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "delancey" <dela...@oswego.edu>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sally Caves
----- Original Message ----- from Dave Henn:
> One partial solution is to incorporate R-SPEC as a not-for-profit
> corporation and have it be the reporter of any income, the purchaser
> of any ISBN blocks, the entity arranging for all aspects of the
> anthology. The Board of the corporation, its officers, and such would
> be of the "membership" to date. I have a colleague who does business
> law that might be able to provide some guidance.
That process, I know by experience, is a long and tedious one. The legalese
language alone is a chore.
Sarah
Sally Caves
checking my email, I'm running after the train! :) We've talked about
incorporation, can we do that simultaneously while we give writers (invited
or submitting) at least six to seven months to write something? Or do we
wait for that first? Money will be an issue. I think the LCS is still
waiting to hear whether it has non-profit status and whether proceeds from
the last conference can even be transferred out of state. They started that
about five months ago. I think everybody by now realizes that January is way
too early, so, I, eat, my, words.
Sarah
----- Original Message -----
From: "delancey" <dela...@oswego.edu>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 6:57 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology
>
> January sounds crazy. One should decide on solicitations, and then
> determine how much time they should be given -- but no way in hell can
> you ask someone to do the favor of providing a story, and then say, by
> the way, give it to me right now (and anything less than, say, six
> months sounds like right now). Then we can back into an unsolicited
> schedule by way of matching the solicited schedule.
Sally Caves
> Who is free this weekend?
AAAARRRGH alas, not I! I'm going to a conference on Friday, and giving a
talk on Sunday on the new movie Beowulf by Zemeckis, and the Press might
even be involved--or at least I have a colleague who is trying to involve
the press. I have to go see the movie TWICE (complicated reasons having to
do with students and husband) and put the talk together on Saturday.
Beowulf--HOT these days. (Angelina Jolie rather) What a surprise, so I can't
miss it.
Sarah
Sally Caves
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alicia Henn" <queenca...@mac.com>
To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 4:38 PM
Subject: Meeting date
>
> I take it from the lack of response, that this weekend isn't good for a
> meeting.
> The next weekend chance for me is December 1 or 2, just before the
> R-spec meeting.
Much much better for me. I'm on call for Jury Duty, but they don't get me on
a weekend. ;)
> Is a night during the week better?
Free: Monday night, Thursday night. Wednesday night I teach but only till
six, so I could come then, too. If Jury duty requires me to be there
Wednesday day, I can come to the R-SPEC meeting, free of the obligation to
teach, prepare, etc. YAY!
Sarah
janice
anthology a bit more. Or perhaps the goals are clear, but what is not
clear is what you wish or are willing to do to achieve them?
If your goal is recognition, then it makes sense that you would be
concerned with including a few 'big names' in the anthology. And it
makes sense that you would want to invite people like Rob Sawyer who
is not a part of the Rochester community. Ways to achieve this would,
of course, include paying these authors up front and/or having a two-
tier process.
If your goal is to do things the way at least some of you are familiar
with, then setting up the process similar to one used by academics or
professional publishers makes sense. And if you're really just looking
for ease, it might be easiest to pitch the idea of the anthology to a
publisher and forget any type of self-publishing. Of course, then it's
not really an R-SPEC project any more.
If your goal is to continue doing other projects as a group, then
incorporating as a non-profit makes sense.
If your goal is to give voice to members of the group and members of
the Rochester community, and if you aren't so concerned with
recognition, you may want to develop a new process that reflects that.
Etc.
Each of these goals requires a different process. And each of us will
be willing to devote a different level of time and energy depending on
what the goal is.
Eric Scoles
Alicia Henn
How about 7pm Sunday, Dec 2, at the Brighton Station of the Evil
Consumer Empire in Brighton - Starbucks at Twelve Corners? Maybe we can
drive some regulars away ;-)
Steve - We need to see your scars. Seriously, there are a lot of things
we've got to learn and you're two steps ahead of the rest of us.
Alicia
Eric Scoles
Time works for me. If we get too many folks we can try a different location.
(Did you know they have a Starbucks in their bathroom at that Starbucks?)
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
delancey
be bothered to buy local coffee.
Why not: Java's (which is fantastic), Spot (lots of room), Little
Theatre Coffee shop, Spin on Park, Starry Nights (our standard),
Organic Alley in Schoen Place or Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters in
Bushnell's Basin (if we want Pitt/Brighton)...?
cd
Eric Scoles
So many options...
I think there's a certain SFnal spirit to meeting within the virtual,
distributed bosom of a corporate octopus. Especially one that names itself
after a spear-carrying literary zealot of dubious mental stability. Kind of
like plotting mutiny in the bilge of the Pequod.
And I also have some sympathy for anyone who'd want to avoid parking in
places where there aren't orderly parking lots.
But I do see your point. If we were to go that route, I'd lobby for Spot.
(Open wifi, doncha know, and they have a room upstairs we might be lucky
enough to grab.) I don't know Finger Lakes in BB, but all the others also
strike me as a bit small (though so is the 12 Corners Starbucks).
(Bagel Bin at 12 corners would have been ideal, but they wouldn't be open at
that time.)
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
delancey
this, since he insists on the Spot!
> And I also have some sympathy for anyone who'd want to avoid parking in
> places where there aren't orderly parking lots.
is analogous to (effort to find a parking space in the city for worthy
business).
Ask not what your economy can do for you, but what you can do for your
economy!
Four score and twelve market days ago, our ancestors lived free and
died!
Thus spake Zarathustra!
cd
Eric Scoles
On 11/15/07 12:10 PM, "delancey" <dela...@oswego.edu> wrote:
>
> Ask not what your economy can do for you, but what you can do for your
> economy!
>
> Four score and twelve market days ago, our ancestors lived free and
> died!
>
> Thus spake Zarathustra!
Dilute! Dilute!
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
Dave Henn
think from the noise. And is it actually convenient for anybody?
Parking is typically a pain in the ass. And did I mention that parking
there is a pain in the ass?
Tell you what, how about we talk to one of the libraries about using a
conference room? Brighton has one. I'm sure others do. And if they
charge, it goes to a better cause than even local merchants.
Unless you'd rather meet in a place where it takes 20 minutes to find
a parking spot and you can't hear the other meeting members talking,
all in the name of supporting local merchants.
--
Dave Henn
Dave...@Gmail.com
Dave Henn
>
> >
> > I think no one should buy a local SF collection if the creators can't
> > be bothered to buy local coffee.
> >
> > Why not: Java's (which is fantastic), Spot (lots of room), Little
> > Theatre Coffee shop, Spin on Park, Starry Nights (our standard),
> > Organic Alley in Schoen Place or Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters in
> > Bushnell's Basin (if we want Pitt/Brighton)...?
> >
I didn't think anyone else could piss people off with so few words.
It's nice to know I have company. That first sentence got my blood
pressure right up there.
The location isn't about buying coffee - it's about a free meeting
space that is somewhat close to appropriate for the meeting. Frankly,
it would be better to completely eliminate the commercial space, a la
library conference room or similar space in my previous post. People
can bring whatever damn coffee or other beverage they choose, or none,
for that matter, and feel no guilt for supporting the Evil Corporate
Entity or stiffing the shop in which the meeting occurs. That didn't
occur to us when we came up with the Starbucks' idea. It was late, and
we were tired - and no adrenaline.
I've not been to Little Theatre Coffee Shop, but the rest of the
downtown/East End share two things - bad parking and lots of noise, at
least the times that I've gone there. Schoen Place - memories of
parking problems, but maybe that's fixed and it depends on exactly
where. If it's near Rick's Prime Rib, then no problem. Bushnell's
Basin - Bushnell's Basin??
--
Dave Henn
Dave...@Gmail.com
Eric Scoles
It's true the ambient noise level can be high in Spot, or in any of the
other places that I'm familiar with on Craig's list. ('Craig's list'...
hmm...that has a nice ring to it...I wonder if the domain is taken...)
[shakes self] Where was I? Oh, yeah. So, noise, I'll grant, you have a point
-- but parking at Spot on a Sunday is very easy, you just use the garage
next to Milestones.
Anyway, let's not over complicate this thing. We started with a workable
location, let's call that the default unless we get something better. So
let's assume it's 12 Corners Starbucks unless someone comes up with a signed
sealed and delivered better idea that doesn't have a high ambient noise
level and affords easy parking. (Plus, I think Schoen Place, Bushnell's
Basin and anyplace in Fairport are out of the way for most people.)
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
delancey
delancey
pat rapp
discuss this further? Make a list of pros and cons regarding meeting site
potential? Can we get a grant to have a study done?
I have to say I admire Alicia's decisiveness and appreciate the way she
jumps in to bring good ideas to a point and move forward.
: )
Eric Scoles
Whatsamatta, you don't wanna have a discussion? [Dialect-Pat: I got your
discussion right here...]
OK, so since my language was apparently not clear, I will restate:
Let's meet at the 12 corners starbucks as originally suggested, unless
someone has a better location and can confirm it.
pat rapp
It just reminded me of conversations at the library where I work:
Co-worker: "There's way too much stuff in the lost and found. Who wants to
be in charge of deciding how long to keep items and what to do with them?
Should we bring it up at the staff meeting?"
Me: "Throw that shit out! Who cares? Nobody's coming back for a pacifier
that was found on the floor in non-fiction."
Your tax dollars at work.
Janice Carello
> jumps in to bring good ideas to a point and move forward.
Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how.
Eric Scoles
I got your gender study right -- er, nevermind.
Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51732/*http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/>
--
Eric Scoles (esc...@antikoan.com)
pat rapp
I don’t want to participate in that study. Boys have cooties.
From: r-s...@googlegroups.com [mailto:r-s...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Janice Carello
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007
3:57 PM
To: r-s...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Meeting date
> I have to say I admire Alicia's decisiveness and appreciate the way she
Alicia Henn
Let's start at Twelve Corners and find another place after that.
Alicia
On Thursday, November 15, 2007, at 04:24PM, "pat rapp" <pr...@rochester.rr.com> wrote:
>I don't want to participate in that study. Boys have cooties.
>
>From: r-s...@googlegroups.com [mailto:r-s...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
>Janice Carello
>Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:57 PM
>To: r-s...@googlegroups.com
>Subject: Re: Meeting date
>
>> I have to say I admire Alicia's decisiveness and appreciate the way she
>> jumps in to bring good ideas to a point and move forward.
>
>I second that! Though I am another female, and it might appear that this is
>becoming a girls-against-boys thing--in which case, we could seek funding
>for a gender study...
>
>
> _____
>
>Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See
><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51732/*http:/overview.mail.yahoo.com/> how.
>
>
>>
>
Alicia Henn
Let's start at Twelve Corners and find another place after that.
Alicia
On Thursday, November 15, 2007, at 04:24PM, "pat rapp" <pr...@rochester.rr.com> wrote:
>I don't want to participate in that study. Boys have cooties.
>
>From: r-s...@googlegroups.com [mailto:r-s...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of
>Janice Carello
>Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 3:57 PM
>To: r-s...@googlegroups.com
>Subject: Re: Meeting date
>
>> I have to say I admire Alicia's decisiveness and appreciate the way she
>> jumps in to bring good ideas to a point and move forward.
>
>I second that! Though I am another female, and it might appear that this is
>becoming a girls-against-boys thing--in which case, we could seek funding
>for a gender study...
>
>
> _____
>
>Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See
><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=51732/*http:/overview.mail.yahoo.com/> how.
>
>
>>
>
pat rapp
smoothly when there's not a crowd.
: )
Dave Henn
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- from Dave Henn:
>
> > One partial solution is to incorporate R-SPEC as a not-for-profit
> > corporation and have it be the reporter of any income, the purchaser
> > of any ISBN blocks, the entity arranging for all aspects of the
> > anthology. The Board of the corporation, its officers, and such would
> > be of the "membership" to date. I have a colleague who does business
> > law that might be able to provide some guidance.
>
> That process, I know by experience, is a long and tedious one. The legalese
> language alone is a chore.
Hmmm. I think we may be talking about two different things, or at
least two different aspects of the same thing. The formation of a
not-for-profit corporation under New York State business law should
not take long. Obtaining status from the IRS as a § 501(c)(3) untaxed
organization might take a while. Is it the latter of which you speak,
Sarah?
According to NY, a not-for-profit corporation begins its existence
with the filing of the certificate of incorporation with the dept. of
state, along with the $75 fee. Check it out:
<http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/nfpguide.htm>
<http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/nfpcorp.html#certinc>
So it's almost instant gratification as far as formation.
While I don't usually do this kind of law, I could, with study or
kibitzing from a colleague. Or I could just see if the colleague might
give us a freebie once over of the completed certificate.
--
Dave Henn
Dave...@Gmail.com
Eric Scoles
Dave Henn wrote:
On Nov 13, 2007 4:49 PM, Sally Caves <sca...@frontiernet.net> wrote:
...
That process, I know by experience, is a long and tedious one. The legalese language alone is a chore.
Hmmm. I think we may be talking about two different things, or at least two different aspects of the same thing. The formation of a not-for-profit corporation under New York State business law should not take long. Obtaining status from the IRS as a § 501(c)(3) untaxed organization might take a while. ....
We looked into both when I was with the August Group -- for whatever reason, not-for-profit was deemed wholly unsuitable and 501(c)(3) the only way to go, but the group stumbled on the reporting and oversight requirements and ended up more or less doing nothing.
What they ended up doing was just not collecting money in any more than a very ad hoc fashion (e.g., for the next pizza/pitcher), and having any fee-for-service arrangements (e.g., $10/mo dues for intensive networking groups [which was a stone bargain, frankly, though I didn't take advantage of it myself]) go to individuals acting on their own behalf.
David, I know you're leery of offering counsel outside of your parish, and I respect that. But you know more than most, possibly any but Steve C, of us about this stuff, so anything you've got to offer is of value. I know I appreciate hearing it.
-- -- Eric Scoles | esc...@antikoan.com
Rick Taubold
Sorry, just catching up on things (300 unread emails and growing that I
haven't had time to get to).
This sounds like a great plan. The only thing I'll add concerns invited
stories. I'd really like to see that we don't blindly accept them simply
because we invited them. It's not that I don't have confidence in name
authors, but we've all seen some of the Hugo and Nebula stuff--some from
noted authors-- that we seriously questioned the worth of. I really don't
want a carte blanche, "you write it, we'll publish it" policy for invited
authors because it opens the door for, "Well, I have this story no one else
wanted, so I'm giving it to you." It might simply be a great story that
fell between the cracks, but I'd like to see us, not the author, make that
determination.
Rick Taubold
www.ricktaubold.com
"More Than Magick"
Medallion Press
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alicia Henn" <queenca...@mac.com>
To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: "therese1 '" <ther...@rochester.rr.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2007 2:59 PM
Subject: Anthology
>
> To summarize what we have so far for the Anthology -
> An editor:
> Janice
>
> Talented writers willing to contribute stories:
> Craig
> Ben
> Nancy - set in ruins?
> David P. - perhaps a realistic, non-fiction urban futurology piece
> Rick
> Alicia
> Eric?
>
> Suckers willing to help out with supporting, evaluating, and bringing
> wine to meetings:
> Craig
> Ben
> Rick
> Alicia
> Eric?
> Tom?
> A committee is born.
> Steve C. - Can I tempt you with scones? I make a mean one.
>
> Possible titles:
> Visions of Rochester: Here and Then
> Here and Then: Speculative Fiction from the North Coast Vol. 1
>
> A proposition that we send out invitations and use a blind-peer review
> process for unsolicited material.
> Craig - I'm guessing that means we'd submit stories to Janice and she'd
> re-distribute to the review committee sans names. Is that correct?
>
> Open questions-
> Story length? I was thinking short stories or novelettes. We want a
> range of "Visions" without giving too much weight to one by its long
> length. What do you guys think? Janice?
>
> Dates? Think we could get invitations out in December, set a March
> submission date, then get stories selected by May and move toward
> production in the early summer? I have absolutely NO idea if that is a
> reasonable schedule.
>
> I think podcasting at least some of the stories would be a good thing,
> too. We can put them on the website.
>
> Tell me if I missed something. All ideas and efforts are welcome here.
> Any other thoughts?
>
> Alicia
>
>
>
Linda G
I've been on the board of my local PTA and another non-profit group -
my husband is also on the board of our local library. Non profit and
501-c aren't complicated if you are handling under $20,000 per year
and not paying salaries, etc. - there's a short form to report your
cash flow after you have the appropriate designation established. It's
not simple, but it's not horrible, either. If we are contemplating
selling this anthology rather than just giving it away at cost, we
have to figure out whether we're a business or a non-profit and deal
with the tax issue. I'm sure that dealing with that up front would be
far better than dealing with the IRS afterwards. Passing the
proverbial hat for pizza money and flyers is one thing, but producing
an anthology and marketing it is another.
Linda
On Nov 16, 6:05 am, Eric Scoles <esco...@antikoan.com> wrote:
> Dave Henn wrote:On Nov 13, 2007 4:49 PM, Sally Caves<sca...@frontiernet.net>wrote:...That process, I know by experience, is a long and tedious one. The legalese language alone is a chore.Hmmm. I think we may be talking about two different things, or at least two different aspects of the same thing. The formation of a not-for-profit corporation under New York State business law should not take long. Obtaining status from the IRS as a § 501(c)(3) untaxed organization might take a while. ....
Rick Taubold
Absolutely I agree, as I said in my previous post. We do need the option to
decline if the story either isn't up to whatever standards we establish or
isn't really the kind of story we're looking to print. (might be good, just
not appropriate).
Rick Taubold
www.ricktaubold.com
"More Than Magick"
Medallion Press
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Scoles" <esc...@antikoan.com>
To: <r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 7:37 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology
>
>
> What's the usual practice when "inviting" contributions -- does one
> evaluate teh contributed work to see if they're acceptable, on thematic,
> content, or even quality-related grounds?
>
> Put another way: If we invite, can we then decline?
>
> I would think we'd have to be able to do that.
>
>
> janice wrote:
> > Will it anger too many people to NOT have a two tier process?
> >
> > Yes, I think it will help to clarify whether or not one wants the
> > anthology to be an R-SPEC member only thing (or an R-SPEC member thing
> > first), or if one wants to open it to the entire community. (If it's
> > open to the entire community then it won't seem fair to only make non-
> > members go through the review process.) And I think it will help to
> > define what is meant by community. Will people have to be current
> > Rochester residents? Or will they have to have lived here at one time?
> > Or will residency not matter so long as the story is about Rochester?
Rick Taubold
Sorry to disagree, but we need a kill switch is an invited submission isn't
what we're looking for. Nancy even said this is the case with other
anthologies out there. Also, not having a guaranteed acceptance will
encourage invited authors to ensure that their submission is appropriate for
our theme and isn't something they just had lying around that didn't sell
anywhere else.
Rick Taubold
www.ricktaubold.com
"More Than Magick"
Medallion Press
----- Original Message -----
From: "delancey" <dela...@oswego.edu>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 9:45 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology
>
> > I assumed the invitees would not go into the blind review process. That
> > would defeat the purpose of inviting established authors.
>
> Exactly.
>
>
>
>
Alicia Henn
Professional editors don't accept all invited stories.
All the stories will go through the review committee without author's
names attached.
Alicia
Rick Taubold
Well, let's put it this way. If we expect to SELL this anthology, it has to
be something that's worth buying. Simply putting together a compilation of
assorted stories (even if they have a theme) by local authors isn't likely
to make much of an impact. I thought the idea was to get the group--and
spec fiction--noticed in the community. If we publish crap, that's counter
productive. We'll lose whatever respect we've gained so far.
If we're going to do this, we need to do it well and ensure that the stories
are worth reading. If we're going to do a "group anthology", count me out.
I suspect many of the invited authors would likely feel the same way. They
don't want their stuff stuck amid a bunch of potentially mediocre stuff.
Rick Taubold
www.ricktaubold.com
"More Than Magick"
Medallion Press
----- Original Message -----
From: "janice" <janu...@yahoo.com>
To: "R-SPEC: The Rochester Speculative Literature Writers Association"
<r-s...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, November 12, 2007 9:47 AM
Subject: Re: Anthology
>
>
>
> "Pat Rapp wrote:
>
> > I assumed the invitees would not go into the blind review process. That
> > would defeat the purpose of inviting established authors. Their names go
on
> > the cover to sell books, and there is a certain amount of trust that can
be
> > given once someone is at Kress-level regarding quality and
publishability.
> > (Ok, so all invitees are not at Kress-level, but they're way beyond the
> > general slush pile as far as a local anthology goes.)
>
> Hmm...Even if we reserve the right to decline invited submissions, 1)
> wouldn't that mean putting those submissions through some kind of
> review process, and 2) don't we have a problem, then, of deciding who
> we invite (who we can 'trust') and who we don't? I don't think there's
> any question that the experienced authors we would want to invite
> would make the cut. Plus, they are more used to this kind of thing and
> probably have tougher skins that the rest of us. But what about those
> whom we didn't invite? How would some respond to not receiving an
> invitation and being forced to go through the review process knowing
> that others were not asked to do so? Wouldn't we end up in a position
> where we had to invite just about anyone in or somehow affiliated with
> the group? And if we did that, why bother to open it to the community?
> Why not just have a group anthology?
>
>
>
Eric Scoles
Linda G wrote:
... I'm sure that dealing with [the tax issue] up front would be far better than dealing with the IRS afterwards. Passing the proverbial hat for pizza money and flyers is one thing, but producing an anthology and marketing it is another.
Absolutely. Fortunately, it will be a while before we have to worry about that -- plenty of time to resolve those issues with input from people like you and Dave H. We will have to be disciplined about getting the stuff done, but I think we can handle that. (Whether we can will have to be a decision-gate, basically.)
David Pascal
On Nov 16, 6:05 am, Eric Scoles <esco...@antikoan.com> wrote:
> David, I know you're leery of offering counsel outside of your parish, and I respect that. But you know more than most, possibly any but Steve C, of us about this stuff, so anything you've got to offer is of value. I know I appreciate hearing it.-- -- Eric Scoles |esc...@antikoan.com
1. We're mad if we try to form a non-profit. Long and tedious to set
up, expenses are involved, and we'd have to continually post records
and documents to the IRS. The advantages, which are few, don't
outweigh the hassle.
2. Now if you want to set up as a DBA, that's different. Cheap ($35,
last time I checked), easy, and you can always incorporate later if
you want to. It's a good way to get your feet wet. It's really only
necessary if you want to set up a press as opposed to printing a book,
and the two aren't the same thing. I nonetheless recommend a DBA,
because it'll be much easier to sell the book on Amazon and get
reviews and so on if the book appears press-published as opposed to
self-published -- the kiss of death.
3. I don't expect Visions Of Rochester to sell a lot of copies
outside Rochester (particularly with that title), and if we are
thinking that the book will be a surprise best seller and dazzle the
world, we are kidding ourselves. Mind you, I do think it's possible
for it to sell books and get positive attention outside the city (for
reasons listed below). But we would do well to focus on what we can
surely rather than possibly achieve. And what we can surely achieve
is to get valuable attention for r-spec and the volume's contributing
members from local journalists, XXI, the local arts community, and so
on. That's worth getting, individually and collectively. Also, since
print costs are so small nowadays, our local target market so focused,
and local publicity likely to be extensive, I think we could even make
a small profit on a limited publication, and just possibly get off to
a good start launching what might turn out to be a thriving small
press. It is definitely worth the effort. But we should focus on
taking the necessary baby steps first, and, rather than thinking about
going far, concentrate on moving steadily forward without falling
down.
4. I don't think the quality issue is a problem at all. True, in any
writer's group with dozens of members, some are more expert than
others, but we're not talking about publishing a thousand-page
megalith with something by everyone. Seven or eight stories fifteen-
page stories could adequately fill a slim but creditable volume, and r-
spec is by no means short of very accomplished published writers who
could do it. I mean, come on -- can you see any book featuring
stories by Nancy Kress, Nick DiChario, Jonathan Sherwood, Craig
Delancey, Will Hubbell, as anything but good, respectable, solid
reading? (To say nothing of Eric Scoles, whose work I put in that
class too.) If Tor or Baen published a collection with that line-up,
what fan or SF reviewer would not think it solid? That leaves with
maybe three slots or so to fill. We surely have enough talent to fill
that adequately. And if there's not enough room for every entry this
time around, well, perhaps there will be in a subsequent 'Revisions Of
Rochester'.
dp