Tuesday, July 10, 2012

July Update and FAQ

The deadline for submissions for No Safe Harbor 2 (NSH2) is starting to get closer. 7 1/2 weeks is all that's left until the September 1 deadline. For those still wondering about what is needed, and what's suitable, here's a quick rundown.

First, topic. It has to be 'on topic'. The book has 3 topics. They are

  1. Government and Corporate Transparency and Accountability
  2. Personal Privacy
  3. Copyright, Patent and Trademark reform
If you have something that fits one of those three categories, it fits.

Second, Fact or fiction. It doesn't have to be factual. While of course it should be based in facts, a fictional story that illustrates a point works just as well. Travis McCrea's "Criminal of Innocence" was a fictional story in NSH that told of how surveillance can lead to mistakes that spark unrest. If it has a viewpoint, and is not wildly unrealistic, then it's completely suitable.

Third, Length. It doesn't have to be extremely long. Brevity can have an impact by itself. "Privacy now, Nothing Later" by Ryan Moffitt is only a few hundred words long. You're not expected to fill the book yourself, so don't aim to be long if you don't need to be. Good writing is better than long writing. Just look at how frustrating this paragraph is getting, when I'm just saying the same things over and over, and try to avoid it. So don't use more words to say something when less will do!

Fourth, Source/reprinting. If you've put it on your blog before, that doesn't matter. If you've released it in another book, that 'might' be an issue, but on their side not ours. If it was a speech you gave, and you want to send us the text, all are fine. If you need help changing the format (or indeed changing the language or phrasing) to cope with the change of format to a book, let us know, we can work with you.

Fifth, Licensing. We only ask for a non-exclusive (meaning we don't want to be the only one) Worldwide (the internet is global) commercial license (so we can sell the book). If you've previously licensed the work to someone else (for a different book) then you'll need to discuss the terms of that license with us, and your publisher there, to ensure there are no conflicts. Again, contact us.

Sixth, Royalties. We don't pay for pieces. This book is as much a fundraiser for the Pirate Party, as it is about spreading ideas. The book is distributed under a Creative Commons license. The eBook is free. Any money gained from the sales of the paperback, helps spread the ideas of the party. We, the editors don't see a penny of it either. We end up out-of-pocket in fact when it comes to getting proofs done. For the same reason, contributors will not get a free print version (but should be able to get a reduced price copy) but will get a free eBook edition a few weeks early.

Seventh, Timeline. The deadline for submissions is September 1 2012. This then gives us 2-3 months to ensure everything is correct, with no typos, bad formatting, garbled images or any other issues. The launch date is currently December 1st 2012. If this changes, we'll update things as soon as we know.

Eighth, Cover. We're divided on this. Brad would like a variant of the cover from NSH, giving it cohesion as a series. Despite designing that cover, I hate it, and would like to offer the cover out as a contest. Which do you, our readers and followers, think is the better idea? Let us know!

I hope this update answers some questions some of you have had. If not, don't hesitate to contact either myself or Brad

Andrew "K`Tetch" Norton

2 comments:

Unknown said...

The contest is a good idea, but the criteria of the contest should be 'will fit in with the first cover as if in a series'. Best of both I say.

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