Book Designer

Thanks, Trent!

Here is the link to the blog site

https://www.blogger.com/interstitial/blog?u=https://austin2078.blogspot.com/

I adhere to the stricter policies of the European Union. So, you have to click on being an adult who is prepared for unpleasant surprises. 

Also, because the current administration in Washington DC has sequestered the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress, I am looking to the Berne Convention which the US joined on a presidential order by Ronald Reagan. Under the Berne Convention, all rights begin with the creator of the work. You can sell them, assign them, etc., but that comes after the fact of creation.

I am pretty good at Blogger (or so I tell myself). The print book needs your expertise. There will only be fewer than 100 produced: five for each of the authors, you, and me. I am looking for ten authors and I have seven now; I would accept more than ten. I am still looking.  Also, there will be some illustrations, and at least the front and back cover art. The ArmadilloCon convention includes artists and I hired one a couple of years ago for a different project. So, I will reach out to them and see what I can afford. 

Anyway,... since the authors are getting $250 for their stories, I offer you the same for your work, if that's OK. 

Right now, it looks like 48 to 60 pages. I would be happy with 8-1/2x11 folded to half-size and saddle stitched with staples and a 60-lb cardstock cover. As you can tell: I have no imagination.

(Do you know the videos of Elle Cordova? She has two on "Fonts Hanging Out" and used a lot of that for her TED Talk.)

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Michael

-- 

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,

Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces 

That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think;

’T is strange, the shortest letter which man uses 

Instead of speech, may form a lasting link 

Of ages; to what straits old Time reduces 

Frail man, when paper — even a rag like this, 

Survives himself, his tomb, and all that’s his.”

George Gordon, Lord Byron. Don Juan, Canto III.

Variations on a Theme

Happy Holidays, [Other Author]. I am publishing an anthology of flash fiction centered on "Austin 2078" and paying 25 cents a word for an absolute limit of 1000 words. If you would like to submit a story, the deadline is February 2, 2026.

If you want to write for this collection, just say so and it’s pretty much a done deal. I will pay on acceptance. And I do not expect a rejection because I came to you. The money has been set aside. I just have to write the checks. 

I am looking for ten stories. So far, I have four published authors and a book designer with more talent than my own for typography, etc. This will launch as an ebook in mid-2026. Print-on-demand and a craft printed chapbook are still under discussion.  

You are selling first publication rights for publication on the blogspot site Austin2078 (austin2078.blogspot.com). The site will be free to anyone to read as long as Blogspot continues. Comments will be closed. 

Each work will be copyrighted to the author. 

Each author will receive five copies of the printed book. I get five copies. The book designer gets five copies. 

Publication on Blogspot will be done by June 1. You can pick up your books at ArmadilloCon 48 this coming September 11-13.

Although I am a member of FACT and have served on the Board, this has no formal relationship with FACT or ArmadilloCon.

That said, ArmadilloCon was launched in 1978. The 50th anniversary will be in 2028; this anthology is my gift to the convention and to FACT. 

"...  all I meant by sociology was what we usually call "world-building" but in this case, much of the world has already been built. So, you are working with "If this goes on..."; "If this does not change...."; "If this changes...." You are at liberty to take any direction you want, but the farther you get away from the known and knowable, the harder it is, especially being limited to 1000 words. But it's all up to you." 

Happy Holidays,
Mike M.
Michael E. Marotta
Blogging at NecessaryFacts.blogspot.com

Negotiating with Writers

 Thanks for offering to write for “Austin 2078.”  Allow me to fill in some of the details. 

1. Like John Campbell, I will pay on acceptance. And I do not expect a rejection because I came to you. So, unless you go off the deep end in the next ten weeks, it’s pretty much a done deal. The money has been set aside. I just have to write the check.
2. You are selling first publication rights for publication on the blogspot site Austin2078 (austin2078.blogspot.com). The site will be free to anyone to read as long as Blogspot continues. Comments will be closed. The anthology is my gift to the ArmadilloCon 50 convention. Each work will be copyrighted to the author. 
3. Each author will receive five copies of the printed book. I get five copies. The book designer gets five copies. 
4. Publication on Blogspot will be done by June 1. You can pick up your books at ArmadilloCon 48 this coming August or September.