new idea

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JenniferD

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Jan 7, 2009, 1:47:41 PM1/7/09
to ozymandias
Hopefully this makes sense. I haven't had a lot of sleep in the last
few days, but here's an idea I had.

Just in case 28 wins.

Word leaks out (we leak it) that a meteor (an actual verifiable real-
life meteor) which fell to earth some years ago was actually a package/
capsule sent to us from extra-terrestrials. Some new person takes
possession of the meteor (or part of it) - buys it on ebay or inherits
it or something and discovers the message inside. Or maybe they just
find the 'meteor'. Maybe we can find some unexplained light-in-the-
sky report that we can say was actually this thing coming to earth and
no one found it until now because it was out in the boonies.

The book/collection we publish is by an un-named mystery author(s).
It is about the message which is actually composed by a collective/
group of aliens and put together for us. Later, after this is
published and a big hit, we reveal authors/co-op. Part of the buzz we
build up is the mystery - act like it is really from outer space. Use
a real meteor/event to tie it in with. Leak out little bits of it
ahead of time - text, images, rumors etc, - unexplained phenomenon --
before we actually release the publication.

The meteor owner/discoverer assembles a group of people - artist,
scientist, paleontologist, translator, etc, to decode the item. The
item is a collection - w/text, photos, drawings, cartoons, music,
mathematical equations, - that are an answer. It foretells earths
demise (by some catastrophe or war - whatever), and tells us how to
avoid it. A combination of prescriptions for happiness/environmental
salvation/peace. The meteor arrived years ago, and since we just
discovered it, we only have one year (maybe 2 or 3) to solve our
problems. Must decipher message and act on it. People of earth must
act together fast.

Different people write the different lessons for survival/happiness/
etc. (from the aliens).

This book is a collection of the actual info sent by the aliens and
also as interpreted by the team. We get to know each member of the
team, and how they become friends/lovers, etc. while they are solving
the riddle and we get their interpretation of it. Then the book
follows them as they release the message/info to the world and how the
world acts on the message/info. Screenplay and products to come
after. Various writers can write different portions - from each
character's point of view of the events. And/or from the alien's
point of view.

We tie in the happiness factor, love, humans treating each other as
humans, saving the environment, economic ills, all kinds of stuff.

What do you think?

Janine

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Jan 7, 2009, 3:38:44 PM1/7/09
to ozymandias
Wow! I wish I could sit with you at a coffee shop right now, Jennifer,
and talk to you about this.
What a fascinating idea!

I like how original it is...it tastes of something brand
new...something that people would eat up.

I hope you get more sleep soon, though!

Adam Lowe

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Jan 7, 2009, 3:55:08 PM1/7/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
The only problem, as I see it, is that if this is all on a Google Group on the net, it could get leaked quite early that it's a hoax. And a hoax/publicity stunt could damage the rep of the coop, rather than strengthening it. A teaser campaign around the book might be a better idea.

2009/1/7 Janine <kivar...@gmail.com>



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JenniferD

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Jan 7, 2009, 5:27:15 PM1/7/09
to ozymandias
I'm up for that coffee shop anytime Janine. Glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, Adam, I thought of the public nature of this group too, but just
figured I'd throw it out there anyway. And I don't really like the
ideas of a total hoax either -- I guess I was thinking it could be
more of a tongue-in-cheek kind of mystery? I don't know, but I like
the teaser idea part. I think those kind of marketing things are fun
and effective.

Years ago when Ikea first came to LA, we shot a bunch of billboards
for them. None of the ads for this campaign had the name of the store
or anything. People could find out who it was if they tried, but it
was a mystery at first. The campaign was a huge success.

Jennifer


On Jan 7, 12:55 pm, "Adam Lowe" <beyo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The only problem, as I see it, is that if this is all on a Google Group on
> the net, it could get leaked quite early that it's a hoax. And a
> hoax/publicity stunt could damage the rep of the coop, rather than
> strengthening it. A teaser campaign around the book might be a better idea.
>
> 2009/1/7 Janine <kivaroc...@gmail.com>

Adam Lowe

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Jan 7, 2009, 5:36:43 PM1/7/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
I know what you mean. When I first launched the website for my upcoming novel (http://www.troglodyterose.com), it just said 'Who is Troglodyte Rose?' and I invited some 1,000 friends on Facebook to visit it. Everyone was like 'Huh?', and over the months we've gradually been releasing more and more info, and now people realise it's a book with illustrations. It's been kinda cool :D

2009/1/7 JenniferD <in...@jenniferdurham.com>

JenniferD

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Jan 7, 2009, 6:49:53 PM1/7/09
to ozymandias
That is cool.

On Jan 7, 2:36 pm, "Adam Lowe" <beyo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I know what you mean. When I first launched the website for my upcoming
> novel (http://www.troglodyterose.com), it just said 'Who is Troglodyte
> Rose?' and I invited some 1,000 friends on Facebook to visit it. Everyone
> was like 'Huh?', and over the months we've gradually been releasing more and
> more info, and now people realise it's a book with illustrations. It's been
> kinda cool :D
>
> 2009/1/7 JenniferD <i...@jenniferdurham.com>

Adam Lowe

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Jan 7, 2009, 7:13:10 PM1/7/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
Thanks :D

If you look at how some of the images flash, as if they hold more info, but can't be clicked on just yet, that shows the kind of thing I mean. If you imagine in the beginning, it was just the title. Then it was the title and the front image of Rose with the Justicars, but different parts of the image started flashing up to suggest they held some kind of secret. We've gradually been adding images and text behind the images, so when you click on them or roll over them, they bring up more background info. But we've intentionally hidden the plot of the book and haven't said anywhere that it's an illustrated novel yet. That's how we could potentially do this. Have a website with a report of a meteorite falling, and make it look real, then add more and more info and depth, so for quite a while people will think it's genuine, until we finally reveal what the project is.

Cheers

2009/1/7 JenniferD <in...@jenniferdurham.com>

JenniferD

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Jan 8, 2009, 2:05:03 PM1/8/09
to ozymandias
It occurred to me this morning that this is actually kind of
reminiscent of Carl Sagan's story "Contact". I don't remember a thing
about the book (altho I know I read it), but I do remember a lot of
the film version.

My original idea for this was just to have the volume/collection be
the stuff sent by the extra-terrestrials, and that is why I thought of
keeping the authors unknown at first - as if it were from the aliens.
But when I was writing it out here I thought of adding the backstory
of how it was found and translated, etc so I threw that in. It could
actually be done separately - release the package sent from the
aliens, and then later the surrounding story and resulting events.

Jennifer

barbara sanchez

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Jan 10, 2009, 2:18:55 AM1/10/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
I like the idea. Could you talk a little more about it. Who would write the alien stuff?

--- On Thu, 1/8/09, JenniferD <in...@jenniferdurham.com> wrote:

nicola griffith

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Jan 10, 2009, 7:53:03 PM1/10/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
This is certainly an idea with scope :)

It's a very fertile framework.  I wonder, though, if it could really end up including the feelgood stuff you mention at the end.  It's more likey to become all about the concept, the aliens and what they're up to/after--all about the mystery.  That would attract the skiffy/conspiracy-loving/puzzle-solving crowd, but would alienate (no pun intended) the flowers-and-puppies consumers.

Voting ends tomorrow and my guess is #28 will win.  I'm wondering if we should do an already-created piece (something unjustly out of print, say, that's in the public domain, or seomthing whose author doesn't mind collaborative metaverse creative stuff going on around it) as proof of concept.  Then do the original stuff.

Nicola
--
www.nicolagriffith.com
http://asknicola.blogspot.com

Jennifer Durham

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Jan 11, 2009, 1:36:21 PM1/11/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
Barbara, I don’t know who would write it – some writers in the co-op would have to want to write it.  

No matter who writes anything for any thing we pick, the quality of the writing has to somehow be contolled/monitored.

Jennifer



On 1/9/09 11:18 PM, "barbara sanchez" <sanchez...@att.net> wrote:

I like the idea. Could you talk a little more about it. Who would write the alien stuff?




--

Jennifer Durham

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Jan 11, 2009, 1:44:12 PM1/11/09
to ozyma...@googlegroups.com
The feelgood stuff is what the aliens are up to.  Maybe that’s why it would work better to put out the alien package/message first, separately.

Not so sure 28 is going to win as things are looking now.  Very close voting, but maybe there is only one voter left to weigh in?

Maybe the idea isn’t as important as the execution.  Seems to me it will be difficult for everyone to love every idea.  Too many different people.

Jennifer
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