Help Milestone One
The first milestone of the Stories from the Continuum Open Source Literature^ project consists of publishing the “pilot” book. The book is a collection of short stories bearing the same name as the project.
So wait a minute, is this about a book or about Open Source Literature? It’s about literature. Most of the time I spend with this project is indeed invested in writing. But sometimes, especially now at the beginning, I am also working on ways to update writing practices & tools according to 21st century technological possibilities.
I am currently setting up ways to finance my art. Let me give you some background regarding this. I’ll start with some simple facts. Living isn’t cheap, especially in Stockholm. Living is even more expensive when one has a family and has zero help from parents or relatives. This is my situation. I am lucky to have a full time job that pays the bills, but I’d love to be able to cut back a bit and do more writing.
I can and want to write for free, but publishing isn’t free. I need to hire an editor to help me with the final touches to the text. I also need to pay for some reviews (new authors don’t have the luxury of having critics lined up waiting for the next release). Last but not least, I need to make my art known to as many people as possible. I can’t do much of this out of my own pocket. The only way I can overcome most of these challenges is with the readers’ help.
For those that can afford to pay for the art they appreciate, your help is instrumental in allowing my stories to exist. For one-time supporters, you can donate directly via my PayPal.me^ page. After I finish work at the third short story I will also initiate a KickStarter or IndieGoGo crowd-funding campaign.
I’ve also set up a Patreon page^ which I will update on a regular basis. Patreon^ is a membership platform that makes it easy for creators to get paid. You become my Patron and you get access to exclusive content. You can pay as low as 1$ per month and trust me, every little helps. It’s knowing that you’re out there that helps more than anything.
But help doesn’t necessarily mean money. If you like what you read, spreading the word about the upcoming book is of immense importance. Perhaps you can’t contribute, but maybe you know somebody who can!
Spending some time in giving me constructive criticism is very useful too. You can also contribute by directly submitting text corrections (spelling, grammar, suggestions on how to rephrase something). Because of the open source format of my writing, anybody can make changes to the text using the project’s online repository^. I can review those changes and, if approved, merge them into the master branch (and give credit where it’s due).
There’s also the alternative of me perhaps getting interest from a publishing agency, but that usually comes with a lot of strings attached. It is my hope that my readers will help me offer my work in the cleanest and most honest way: free for everybody, funded by those who can.
To summarize, here’s how you can help Milestone 1:
- Consider making a donation through my Patreon^ page or directly via my PayPal.me^ page.
- Spread the word using social media. For example link to this site saying a few (good?) words about a story you read.
- Follow this website (there’s a “Connectivity Toolbox” on the left hand side on the main page). There will be regular updates to Milestone 1.
- Help with improving the text of the book by submitting corrections.
To be continued…
Milestone 1 Updates Summary:
- July 12th 2017: first version.
