Contest/Project for 2009 ideas.... (Split. See last page)

[fesworks]

Hey... What if we try to have some sort of Short Story contest? Where people can make anywhere from 1-8 pages of a Jenny Story.

Then, when it's over, we take the best ones (which could be difficult and highly subjective), and I'd publish them in a book through Ka-Blam, and put it up on Indy Planet.

Of course there'd be a lot at look at from a legal aspect. Depending on costs of printing, I would assume a small profit margin would be fine for advertising costs. I could bulk-buy copies and sell them to the contributes at cost, and they can turn around and sell them on their own to others as well (maybe we'd all agree on a max mark-up?) Anything sold online through the printer and distributor would go to myself and The Shifter Archive for advertising costs.

The goal would be at least a 24 page book.

Normally, the contests have been where I fronted some money for part of the prize, but I can't really afford to do that this time... Because, I really would like to give a free book to everyone that is involved, but I don't think I could afford that.... except for maybe the top 3 contributors.

This is still an  idea in the works.... ideas? Thoughts?

[Pirate Lepricorn]

I'm guessing that this mainly for comics but could there be written submissions for this as well? 

[fesworks]

Well, I was going for just comics... written stories.... *might* work... I mean it'd be some awfully expensive all-text pages... but I guess I won't rule it out... May even make it possible for people have writters and artist work with each other.

Again, the whole thing is an idea in progress.

[Scott]

I'm up for prose, of course.  If any of the ones I've done to date suit your idea of how the book should be, I'm in right now; it's not as if they'll get read less by being copied onto dead trees, right?  I don't have a new but unseen story ready to go right now, only a few fragments and ideas; there's no telling when something might come together, though.
 
Is text actually more expensive to print than art?  I've never tried micropublishing a comic, so I'm a bit lost on how this works.  I'd love to have some printed Jenny Everywhere material, though.  Somehow things you print out yourself never seem as real as published works.
 
I'm at a loss, right now, to think what I could contribute to an anthology comic.  A one page pin-up or portrait is probaby within my artistic skills, but such a thing would be better as a standalone piece than as part of a comic, wouldn't it?

[El Presedente]

Sounds good to me. However i think the key to the whole thing would have to be promotion, It'd have to be sell, sell, sell, to round up contributors and potential buyers for the finished product, so we'd all have to do our part to get the word around.

I like the idea of teaming up artists and writers, as long as we had enough artists to go around, since I see myself as more writer than artist, but I'd be happy to do either.

So yeah, sounds like fun, we could even do prose stories with artwork like the ones they do in 2000ad and the old Inferno books.

[fesworks]

A group project, rather than a contest, was also something I was thinking about as well. Even if we can get some pre-existing stuff in this thing (going the project route) would work if we have the hi-res copies.

I've already been trying to design a "retro cover" with the Shifter Archive logo.

[Pirate Lepricorn]

What would you do in a group project with Jenny? (Or what could you do? would be a better question.)

[fesworks]

What would you do in a group project with Jenny? (Or what could you do? would be a better question.)

Well, this compilation book idea thing this thread has been talking about... Unless I'm misunderstanding the question.... :/

[Pirate Lepricorn]

Misunderstood in a way. The compilation book is one this to do but it's a compilation of people working more independently. I'm asking what could be don't with a group of people more as a whole then a collection.

[El Presedente]

I'm asking what could be don't with a group of people more as a whole then a collection.

I think what he means is that a compilation would be a collection of stuff we'd produce as individuals, where as a group project would involve us working together in more depth, brainstorming ideas, giving our opinions on different areas such as design and execution, in that sort of way.

[Scott]

Ah, that makes sense, yes - like Fesworks, I didn't quite follow Pirate Lepricorn's earlier post.  I agree; letting everyone make something featuring Jenny Everywhere and hoping that 24 pages of it turn out to be usable product seems like the best route.  (As an example of the other approach, note that the Miss Adventure story over on Comic Jam seems to have stalled out after four pages.)  Working in parallel seems more likely to produce results than working serially.

I've shown that I produce prose fiction occasionally.  Fesworks is a co-ordinator, web maven, and artist.  Perhaps Pirate Lepricorn will draw something.  How about you, El Presidente?  Do you have any particular areas of talent?

[fesworks]

But it's gotta be really good too. I mean, doesn't need to be professional grade, but I certainly want to make sure there is some quality control. Not to sound mean or anything, but I think it's a fair goal.

Even trying to get some of the artwork that's already on the archive... try to find the original artists and get high-res images, and see if they'll allow the use to be printed. etc.

[El Presedente]

How about you, El Presidente?  Do you have any particular areas of talent?

Well I see myself as more of a writer than an artist, intersting ideas and flowing dialogue tends to come naturally (don't want to blow my own trumpet mind you), I taught myself to draw more out of necessity than anything, but I feel i'm moving from strengh to strengh in that field, though its far from perfect. I wouldn't mind doing some artwork, but if better talents available I don't mind stepping down.

Even trying to get some of the artwork that's already on the archive... try to find the original artists and get high-res images, and see if they'll allow the use to be printed. etc.

Not a bad idea this, printing a few of the more polished strips off and releasing them as a paperback would be pretty cool.

Tell you what, we could always meet half way with the group project, we could have the stories all being connected along a simlar theme, a la Pulp Fiction or something, do a bit of brainstorming about plot etc, and then go off and do our own things, before bringing it all together at the end.

[fesworks]

How about you, El Presidente?  Do you have any particular areas of talent?

Well I see myself as more of a writer than an artist, intersting ideas and flowing dialogue tends to come naturally (don't want to blow my own trumpet mind you), I taught myself to draw more out of necessity than anything, but I feel i'm moving from strengh to strengh in that field, though its far from perfect. I wouldn't mind doing some artwork, but if better talents available I don't mind stepping down.

Even trying to get some of the artwork that's already on the archive... try to find the original artists and get high-res images, and see if they'll allow the use to be printed. etc.

Not a bad idea this, printing a few of the more polished strips off and releasing them as a paperback would be pretty cool.

Tell you what, we could always meet half way with the group project, we could have the stories all being connected along a simlar theme, a la Pulp Fiction or something, do a bit of brainstorming about plot etc, and then go off and do our own things, before bringing it all together at the end.

Well, I'm not saying that some existing stories or such are not good enough. I'm mostly saying that they should be refined enough, especially for being in print... such as taking advantage of color or greyscale, or refined a bit... we could even have people that would be interested in refining, coloring, adding text or something... You know?

Of course there's the question of legal stuff, but if we work together, and all get's credited, it should not be an issue. Anyone and everyone involved would be able to get an At-Cost + Shipping copy at the very least. Major contributers could get several copies at that, and sell on their own at conventions, etc.

With so many people (potentially) to work on this project, splitting profits (if any) is close to unrealistic... asside from allowing them to buy the base-price books, and selling themselves at conventions or such.... I was planning any profit margin (for selling online) to go to The Shifter Archive, for advertising the book, and also future projects via the site.... and I think most people would be fine with that... despite how minor any profit would be on it.

I'm presently in the final process of making When Casting Calls printed, and a similar agreement had been reach for that.

I just hope that we can produce SOMEthing, instead of just talking about it. I'll try to make a news post and send out some e-mails this coming month, to get a jump on the project.

[El Presedente]

Well, I'm up for anything, time permitting, I'm actually working on a nine page full colour scripted strip atm, though its the start of an arc more than a self contained short.