Feedback and some suggested wordsmithing below...
Hm. Given that we have separate contribution guidelines for EG articles and artwork for the EG - do we want to also mention 'non-fiction articles, and art submissions' here? This made sense in the context of V:FT as a somewhat separate entity, but I'm not sure if it would potentially cause confusion now that V:FT is no longer a going concern. Also - technically all the EG articles are 'fiction' so perhaps we want to tweak the wording on that a bit.
That said - I can imagine circumstances in which we (the OAUP) might be asked to consider accepting a submitted article/whitepaper/essay that is not actually an EG article - meaning it is outside the fourth wall of the setting. I'm less clear on what the equivalent might be for artwork, but am inclined to think that if such exists it would be better/simpler to cover it in the Artwork Submission section to maintain a 'single source of truth'.
With that in mind, perhaps we should tweak the wording a bit to something like:
We are looking for narrative fiction, including short stories, novellas, novels, and snapshots/vignettes. We are also happy to consider non-fiction essays, whitepapers, and articles relevant to, but outside the 'fourth wall' of, the setting. Guidelines are as set forth below:
I'd suggest that we not specify the lower word limit or else make it a much smaller number. A very very quick-n-dirty check indicates that a goodly number of our Snapshots fall well below 1000 words. Not quite sure how we would word such a thing if we decide to set no lower limit, though. Thoughts?
Should we remove the bit about 'through a publishing service' as too specific? Wondering if that would make someone think they have to self-publish vs go through a conventional publisher or just post to Scribd or their blog or somesuch. I think the only thing we really care about in this instance is proper attribution, so should retain that part.
I'd suggest that we remove mention of book publication guidelines. Those can be included in the relevant documentation if/when we publish another book. My thinking is to both avoid potential confusion about which guidelines pertain to books and which pertain to project submissions. Also, it is not impossible that by the time we are of a mind to do another book, the state of the art in the area of submissions will have changed such that instructions we put here now are out of date.
Random thought - What about video files? And should those be mentioned above in the formats we are good with as well? Or should video (and maybe audio) guidelines be in their own separate sections?
This mainly talks about the 'author' but in this last section there is mention of the 'owner'. Do we mean 'author' here and just need to tweak the wording? Or are we considering potential situations where the owner of a work's copyright might not be the author? For example, a publisher, a surviving spouse/dependent/family member, and estate, etc.? In which case - are there any other spots we need to user 'owner' wording? And do we need to specify what we mean by 'owner'? Or maybe stick to 'author' wording along with something like (or their designated agent/publisher/survivor/trustee/etc)?
Or am I overthinking this?
My 2c worth,
Todd
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: Orion's Arm is interested in your voice!
We are looking for long-form fiction, snapshots/ vignettes, non-fiction articles, and art submissions for Orion's Arm. Guidelines are as set forth below:
Hm. Given that we have separate contribution guidelines for EG articles and artwork for the EG - do we want to also mention 'non-fiction articles, and art submissions' here? This made sense in the context of V:FT as a somewhat separate entity, but I'm not sure if it would potentially cause confusion now that V:FT is no longer a going concern. Also - technically all the EG articles are 'fiction' so perhaps we want to tweak the wording on that a bit.
That said - I can imagine circumstances in which we (the OAUP) might be asked to consider accepting a submitted article/whitepaper/essay that is not actually an EG article - meaning it is outside the fourth wall of the setting. I'm less clear on what the equivalent might be for artwork, but am inclined to think that if such exists it would be better/simpler to cover it in the Artwork Submission section to maintain a 'single source of truth'.
With that in mind, perhaps we should tweak the wording a bit to something like:
We are looking for narrative fiction, including short stories, novellas, novels, and snapshots/vignettes. We are also happy to consider non-fiction essays, whitepapers, and articles relevant to, but outside the 'fourth wall' of, the setting. Guidelines are as set forth below:
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: FICTION:
The Orion's Arm Universe Project seeks literate, strongly plotted science fiction stories between 1,000 and 10,000+ words, set at any time within the span of the Orion’s Arm universe.
I'd suggest that we not specify the lower word limit or else make it a much smaller number. A very very quick-n-dirty check indicates that a goodly number of our Snapshots fall well below 1000 words. Not quite sure how we would word such a thing if we decide to set no lower limit, though. Thoughts?
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: Successful submissions will have original ideas, strong characterization, fidelity to the OA canon (as set forth at http://www.orionsarm.com), and appeal to the sense of wonder. Stories should be clear and understandable. Longer submissions can be considered for serialization and authors are welcome to publish them as standalone novels through a publishing service as well, with proper attribution.
Should we remove the bit about 'through a publishing service' as too specific? Wondering if that would make someone think they have to self-publish vs go through a conventional publisher or just post to Scribd or their blog or somesuch. I think the only thing we really care about in this instance is proper attribution, so should retain that part.
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: Due to time or other constraints, many contributors may instead prefer to write vignettes or single scenes which can be published as short OA fiction, or be added to Encyclopedia articles as snapshots or "historical primary source quotes" to expand the ground level view of the OA universe.
The Orion's Arm Universe Project encourages non-traditional forms of storytelling. Virtually any format, including (but not limited to) comics/manga, animations, hypertext, poetry, or music will be considered. Please bear in mind that technical dazzle is fun… but story is essential.
GENERAL POLICIES:
All submissions, regardless of genre, are subject to the following editorial policies:
Format: Submissions will be accepted via the OA Forum, specifically through the Creative Writing sub-forum, or via email. Email submissions should be sent to OAoperations@gmail.com; with “Fiction Submissions” in the header, and with the article itself as an attachment in DOC or RTF format. In the event that we publish another book, submissions should include title, author’s full name, address, contact information, and word count at the top of the story. Avoid the use of unusual fonts. Please include a brief bio and credits, if any, in the body of your email. Queries are welcome. Most writers find it helpful to brainstorm and test out ideas in the forums or on Discord before submitting any story drafts.
I'd suggest that we remove mention of book publication guidelines. Those can be included in the relevant documentation if/when we publish another book. My thinking is to both avoid potential confusion about which guidelines pertain to books and which pertain to project submissions. Also, it is not impossible that by the time we are of a mind to do another book, the state of the art in the area of submissions will have changed such that instructions we put here now are out of date.
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: Comic, manga, and animation submissions should be complete and web-ready upon final submission though we encourage discussion of any rough drafts of plot or sketches in the forum beforehand. Where applicable, such final submissions should NOT rely upon browser-specific tags or plugins; fiction in OAUP is meant to be read on a variety of browsers, including current versions of Chrome and Internet Explorer, older versions of those browsers, Mozilla, Opera, Safari and others.
Audio files must have contact information (see the instructions above) in the body of the email. Submit files in standard MP3 format.
Random thought - What about video files? And should those be mentioned above in the formats we are good with as well? Or should video (and maybe audio) guidelines be in their own separate sections?
(06-16-2021, 08:16 AM)Dfleymmes1134 Wrote: Our goal is to respond within five to eight weeks after receiving a submission. Depending on numerous variables, however, it may take longer. Please give us ample time before inquiring about a submission’s status. All submissions, whether fiction or nonfiction, are subject to spelling and grammar editing as well as to review for content. The Orion's Arm Universe Project retains the right to act as any other publication and decline submissions for either artistic or technical reasons.
Copyright and renumeration: (i'll definitely wait for more feedback about this part)
Articles published by the Orions Arm Universe Project are published by permission of the authors. Fiction which has appeared in other venues can be considered for the OAUP, if it can be adapted to fit OA canon, in accordance with the rights of the author and all prior publishers. Any fiction published in OA can be removed upon request of the owner, at which time electronic rights revert to the owner.
All articles based on the Orion’s Arm canon are published in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the OA project. In the event that negotiations for commercial rights to an author’s work occur after publication, the Board of Directors of the Orion’s Arm Universe Project is the point of contact for permission to use Orion’s Arm material for commercial purposes.
Save as set forth above, all other rights are retained by the author.
Link to stories by Author https://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oa-...=by-author
Link to voices future tense issues https://www.orionsarm.com/page/516
Link to writing help https://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oa-links
<eventually> maybe a Link to writer's FAQ about questions like "achailects dominate OA and angelnets stop 99% of modern problems how do i write about anything??"
Back to How to Contribute
This mainly talks about the 'author' but in this last section there is mention of the 'owner'. Do we mean 'author' here and just need to tweak the wording? Or are we considering potential situations where the owner of a work's copyright might not be the author? For example, a publisher, a surviving spouse/dependent/family member, and estate, etc.? In which case - are there any other spots we need to user 'owner' wording? And do we need to specify what we mean by 'owner'? Or maybe stick to 'author' wording along with something like (or their designated agent/publisher/survivor/trustee/etc)?
Or am I overthinking this?
My 2c worth,
Todd