Reflex Press are doing a collaboration dealie in July

[AnRoinnUltra]

From the blurb: "we’re seeking participants for a collaborative novella-in-flash project. Details are fluid at the moment because we want the participants to decide how it should work, but essentially someone will write the first piece and pass the manuscript on to the second writer, who will read the first piece, add the second piece and pass it on to the third writer, who will read the first and second piece, add the third piece … and so on until we reach the end."

A collaborative novella-in-flash? - Reflex Press

 

[The Judge]

I don't know Reflex Press, but it looks like there's no payment involved for any contribution, just a free copy of the novella as and when it's published, so if they're planning to sell the novella, anyone thinking of participating might want to find out exactly who is going to get any money that it might make.

You might also want to ask questions about the quality of the finished product (of writing, artwork, editing etc) and who makes decisions about publishing, as well as your rights -- eg if they're envisaging that you will hand over copyright of your segment to them, and the future publishing rights over it.

 

[Christine Wheelwright]

I don't even like novels with two authors, let alone dozens.

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

Thanks @The Judge , yeah, never thought of that -it'd make sense if it was for charity ...sounded like fun though

 

[The Judge]

It may well be fun, so don't let my legal quibbles stop you from joining in if that's what you want to do! They're not asking for any money from contributors, which would be a real red flag, and realistically the chances of the novella selling by the bucket-load are slim to non-existent, so it's not as if someone is likely to be making ££ off your work.

In all such cases it's a question of what is important to us as individuals. I imagine that having a laugh with like-minded writers would be something you valued highly, regardless of any contractual rights and obligations, and someone else might well be delighted just to get his/her work in print even if it meant paying for it and signing copyright away! As long as we know the risks, it's up to each of us to decide how to deal with our writings.

As a by-the-by, though, later in the year for the Chronscast I'll be doing a talk about contracts and what we as writers ought to be looking at when we come across invitations of this kind, which I hope will allow everyone to go into these things with eyes open.

 

[Steve Harrison]

It sounds like an interest project, but given Reflex is a traditional publisher it should be paying writers if the book is published, even if it's a nominal amount. It sounds like there would be a lot of work involved, particularly for writers of the later stages.

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

It sounds like an interest project, but given Reflex is a traditional publisher it should be paying writers if the book is published, even if it's a nominal amount. It sounds like there would be a lot of work involved, particularly for writers of the later stages.

Put my name forward anyway, though I'll be very surprised if they come back ...getting in early would be easier, although it could be fun sticking in a sharp deviation close to the finish

 

[AnRoinnUltra]

They've decided to run a 1000 worder flash fiction playoff to whittle down a large number of interested writers. It was all very fair. There was a poll of applicants to find a consensus on how to select contributors -they seem like a good crew if anyone else if interested (reckon this is about as much as I'll be able to say about the process ...unless there is a sudden demand for stories beginning with 'Flungerdink Hanbenagle was feeling hungry/ tired/ itchy'