I'm just thinking out loud, but could the anthology be structured by topic, choosing 12-16 topics, rather than authors?

Obviously, it depends on what BenBella would want to do, if they're even interested, but I like this idea, too.

The problem -- if you want to look at it that way -- is that they pay very little for essays in their other anthologies. This might wind up being a "paid in copies" deal, if there are a lot of authors involved, but that wouldn't matter to me.

Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about $$. At all. It never actually occurred to me. I'm just thrilled at the possibility of getting our words out.

(Yes, that was a Wonderfalls reference.)

I'm just thinking out loud, but could the anthology be structured by topic, choosing 12-16 topics, rather than authors?

Obviously, it depends on what BenBella would want to do, if they're even interested, but I like this idea, too.

I was actually planning on structuring it by topic, rather than writer. If it's being pitched as essentially a non-fiction deal, then the topic becomes the primary focus: using the variations on each topic to illustrate how different writers might interpret and use.

Amy, I'm assuming you have no objection to being one of the proposal "name legs"? Laura Anne has indicated she wants to play, so there's three.

Amy, I'm assuming you have no objection to being one of the proposal "name legs"? Laura Anne has indicated she wants to play, so there's three.

Not at all. And yay for Laura Anne playing!

Man. I wish I had the ability to drabble.

I wish I had the ability to drabble.

So do I. Are you sure you don't? Some nice crisp 100-word observations on fandom?

I've made the attempt. It never works out well.

Yeah. I think the paid in copies thing would make sense - maybe not even always that. I mean what if someone has written one really good drabble? You want to leave that out if they are willing to contribute it? And somewhere in the range of zero to one copies equals market rate of compensation for 100 words of fiction from a non-name. If there is any money it shold go the names, and perhaps to people who make really signficant contribution. (That might be a fair distinction - major and minor contributors.)

No point in discussing money until we know if it's even up BenBella's alley. Glenn may read the proposal and say something unprintable; you never know. I tend to think not, since anthologies are BenBella's mainstay.

My feeling about it is pretty straightforward: there are a lot of very good writers in here, who have yet to publish anything in the "buy this for money" print medium. This would be a fabulous way of getting them into print.

For me, since there isn't likely to be much money in this anyway, that doesn't really arise. My thing is the above (getting all your words out), plus I've become fierce in my love for the form itself, and think it can be a perfect writer's tool.

I do want to make damned sure that, if this does fly, everyone understands that it isn't a popularity contest or any of that crap. I don't want hard feelings and pissiness and people feeling hurt if, for instance, BenBella does what the editor at Seal Press did: cut the list of twenty writers down to (I think) eleven.

Sure. The whole point of collection is what you said. The editor may love books, but she also works for a business. If this comes to fruition, In the end what will be picked will be the authors and drabbles the editor thinks will produce a book that has a shot of earning money. Of course everyone (or almost everyone) who wrote a drabble will hope to be picked. And of course those who are not picked will feel a moment of disappointment - even as they feel happy to see the others get included. I think we are all human enough for the former. I think we are all adult enough with, and have enough generousity of spirit for the latter to predominate.