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OAF annual

Jay Dougherty

Jay Dougherty

Mangling Member
Editor
I'm toying with the idea of putting together an annual publication of the work published on the front page--something along the lines of "Open Arts Forum 2018," etc. I've figured out how use a plug-in to export the front page posts in a format that's reasonably easy to massage in Word (there's never a way that's totally easy). So that's a start.

The other challenges, though, are as follows:

1. Find the time to do it (maybe over the holidays).

2. Figure out what form to publish it in. At the least, it could be a PDF-based ISSUpublication. Preferable would be a print-on-demand publication available on Amazon, similar to what @Jordan Trethewey and @Marcel Herms put together recently.

3. Get permission from those on the front page.

Does anyone have an objections to this or thoughts about it? I haven't thought at all about cost/profit. With ISSU, the only cost is my time, so far as I understand the service, which is not very far (I don't really understand it, in other words). With Amazon, there's obviously more cost involved, which might make the whole idea a non-starter. As usual, I wouldn't really expect to do anything other than use the book as another vehicle to get the word out about this place, maybe attract additional talent.

Maybe I'd just put something together that can be freely downloaded by members.
 
Breaking even on the expenses seems the critical factor to me Jay. How many non-member hits we get on the front page would give an indication of the market potential that would be willing to pay for a subscription. If we don't have a base consumer volume to cover the publication costs then asking for OAF members to donate would be the only other way to keep it financially sustainable.

Hope that input helps.
 
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Tom Strong said:
Breaking even on the expenses seems the critical factor to me Jay. How many non-member hits we get on the front page would give an indication of the market potential that would be willing to pay for a subscription. If we don't have a base consumer volume to cover the publication costs then asking for OAF members to donate would be the only other way to keep if financially sustainable.

Hope that input helps.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I think that would argue for just releasing it as an ISSU publication and/or letting members download it. I saw this done on another site (the latter option).
 
Oh. I just saw that even ISSU wants a fee, except for the version that puts ads on publications. So maybe just a PDF publication here.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
I'm toying with the idea of putting together an annual publication of the work published on the front page--something along the lines of "Open Arts Forum 2018," etc. I've figured out how use a plug-in to export the front page posts in a format that's reasonably easy to massage in Word (there's never a way that's totally easy). So that's a start.

The other challenges, though, are as follows:

1. Find the time to do it (maybe over the holidays).

2. Figure out what form to publish it in. At the least, it could be a PDF-based ISSUpublication. Preferable would be a print-on-demand publication available on Amazon, similar to what @Jordan Trethewey and @Marcel Herms put together recently.

3. Get permission from those on the front page.

Does anyone have an objections to this or thoughts about it? I haven't thought at all about cost/profit. With ISSU, the only cost is my time, so far as I understand the service, which is not very far (I don't really understand it, in other words). With Amazon, there's obviously more cost involved, which might make the whole idea a non-starter. As usual, I wouldn't really expect to do anything other than use the book as another vehicle to get the word out about this place, maybe attract additional talent.

Maybe I'd just put something together that can be freely downloaded by members.
Click to expand...
Good thoughts and questions Jay.


I would love to see the fp in a print book.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
I'm toying with the idea of putting together an annual publication of the work published on the front page--something along the lines of "Open Arts Forum 2018," etc. I've figured out how use a plug-in to export the front page posts in a format that's reasonably easy to massage in Word (there's never a way that's totally easy). So that's a start.

The other challenges, though, are as follows:

1. Find the time to do it (maybe over the holidays).

2. Figure out what form to publish it in. At the least, it could be a PDF-based ISSUpublication. Preferable would be a print-on-demand publication available on Amazon, similar to what @Jordan Trethewey and @Marcel Herms put together recently.

3. Get permission from those on the front page.

Does anyone have an objections to this or thoughts about it? I haven't thought at all about cost/profit. With ISSU, the only cost is my time, so far as I understand the service, which is not very far (I don't really understand it, in other words). With Amazon, there's obviously more cost involved, which might make the whole idea a non-starter. As usual, I wouldn't really expect to do anything other than use the book as another vehicle to get the word out about this place, maybe attract additional talent.

Maybe I'd just put something together that can be freely downloaded by members.
Click to expand...
A printing on demand publication doesn't have to cost you anything Jay.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
Maybe! Let me put something together first. Then I'll throw it up here for comment and offers of help. Thanks. :)

The fantastic thing about a project like this is that we have plenty of visual artists for cover art and to keep things diverse between the covers.
Click to expand...
Okay. Good luck. And let me know if I can do something.
 
I think that as long as the Amazon price stays low enough, then OAF members will support it by buying it.

I know now that there is a downside for we members in countries with high exchange rates with the US. For example, I couldn’t afford the latest anthology @Soodabeh Saeidnia publish (although I have work in it). She publishes to bring fresh voices to Persian readers..a great revel undertaking. The book...$15...in the US, is double in Canada!

Just an observation.
I support any means of promoting the fabulous work of our members!
 
Jordan Trethewey said:
I think that as long as the Amazon price stays low enough, then OAF members will support it by buying it.

I know now that there is a downside for we members in countries with high exchange rates with the US. For example, I couldn’t afford the latest anthology @Soodabeh Saeidnia publish (although I have work in it). She publishes to bring fresh voices to Persian readers..a great revel undertaking. The book...$15...in the US, is double in Canada!

Just an observation.
I support any means of promoting the fabulous work of our members!
Click to expand...

I'd like to see the art and photographs reproduced in color, though. Is that prohibitively expensive? :eek:
 
late to the party, sorry.
annual issue is a fantastic idea.
publishing b&w on amazon is cost-free (except for time).
you can then get "author's" copies at a discount to the published price
as handouts where ever you go as publicity
who knows you might sell a few.
I feel an annual summation of the activity on OAF could only enhance its prestige.
Just create a PDF that looks like a book,
and upload it to KDP bookshelf, and bam you are done.

When you see how easy it is,
then we might consider a colour version to accommodate Jenn Zed, Marcel, et al . . .
cuz , it would be awesome . . .
 
over they years i've been involved in a number of publications/anthologies that were done with

Ingram Spark
https://www.ingramspark.com/features

you send them a pdf that meets their specifications

they also have a nice range of finished sizes to select

they have been very reliable and the printing quality of the cover and inside pages is great

you can set your sales price for each world market : currency, prices etc

and you can select the % of sales commission that you give to retailers....and online retailers

as the publisher you can also order copies directly from them at coast price
and send shipments directly to authors so that they do not have pay a sales commission fee to Amazon etc etc etc

and you are NOT married to or molested by Amazon management practices
the book will also be featured on all of these other outlets

Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 11.00.23.png


Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 11.01.53.png
 
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Jay Dougherty said:
I'd like to see the art and photographs reproduced in color, though. Is that prohibitively expensive?
Click to expand...

that certainly will drive the printing costs up
you need to have the color pages on different paper than than the text
and you need to find a" print on demand" printer that has guaranteed color consistency
you need to send proper jpeg files with the correct color balance gamut
you need to order a proof copy first before committing to publishing
for each artist/photographer
to control the paper and printing quality

this will involve a lot of time and effort to do inside pages of art/photography reproductions


also book design is an art
and i personally would prefer to chip in to pay a designer to do this
unless we have a true graphic designer among us who is willing to volunteer their time

unfortunately i was raised in the old school of razor blades and heat pressure glue
to do paste ups and am not tech savvy to do a proper book layout with a computer


silent lotus
 
silent lotus said:
also book design is an art
and i personally would prefer to chip in to pay a designer to do this
unless we have a true graphic designer among us who is willing to volunteer their time
Click to expand...

Good point. My little mag back in the 80s was laughably amateurish when I look back now. But the whole thing was done by typewriter and xerox machine (plus stapler). I suppose there's an argument to be made for just getting it done rather than getting it done perfectly.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
Good point. My little mag back in the 80s was laughably amateurish when I look back now. But the whole thing was done by typewriter and xerox machine (plus stapler). I suppose there's an argument to be made for just getting it done rather than getting it done perfectly.
Click to expand...
I still love the cut and paste DIY look though...:)
 
Jay Dougherty said:
Not sure what this means.
Click to expand...

Hello, Jay. Some private citizens , as you know, are sometimes labeled as "patrons of the arts." They are usually monied folk. Some love to see their names in print-- supporters of theatre production have their name on a patron list in the theatre program.

Can we find 2-3 monied people who would pay to have their names on the dedication page of the OAF anthology?
 
Doug Flaherty said:
I pledge $100.00 to defray expenses or purchase copies.
Click to expand...

i am willing to do the same

as i strongly support paying a book designer
as i’ve seen too many well meaning projects
never come to fruition because
of volunteers becoming frustrated with the process
and giving up after intense weeks/months of decision making

and then leaving everyone else discouraged

i was involved with one anthology where one of the poets
was a graphic designer and volunteered to do the book...
when it was 80% finished she stopped communicating/ answering emails.

it took 4 months before she finally replied
and said she had too much on her plate and would not be finishing the project

in another situation it took forever for every poet to sign
and return a copyright release form


i would truly like to see an OAF print anthology come to completion

silent lotus
 
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Jordan Trethewey said:
I think that as long as the Amazon price stays low enough, then OAF members will support it by buying it.

I know now that there is a downside for we members in countries with high exchange rates with the US. For example, I couldn’t afford the latest anthology @Soodabeh Saeidnia publish (although I have work in it). She publishes to bring fresh voices to Persian readers..a great revel undertaking. The book...$15...in the US, is double in Canada!

Just an observation.
I support any means of promoting the fabulous work of our members!
Click to expand...
First of all, I mentioned the book price in the call for submission so anybody who believed it’s high wouldn’t submit any. Secondly and most importantly, the anthologies I published include translations which are an extra and really time consuming process. I myself invited translators to enrich the quality of translations using the vast vocabulary of both Afghan and Iranian dialect ... So imagine how many back and force emails are needed to complete the translations. The quality of our translations are only comparable with academic books.
I don’t believe that it’s even fair to think 15 $ is a high price for such a book when none of translators, illustrators and editors received a penny! All dedicated their time and efforts...
I understand and am sorry to see that the high rate of exchange made it impossible for you to order the print book but I offer the PDF file to the contributors who want it.
 
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I wonder if we will be publishing ALL of the front page content? That is a large publication. Maybe we could whittle it down to a certain number per contributor. Say, no more than three each. Exceptions can be made, of course! I can make a financial contribution. Moreover, I can contribute for anyone who feels they can't....
And, maybe, if we can publish the 2019 as our first issue? That will give us time to gather it. We can cut off the date before December. And publish everything through, say, the third quarter of the year.
I think if we just begin with a PDF file, gauge interest, and then proceed with a print edition, based on the financial resources available to us.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
Yeah. I think that would argue for just releasing it as an ISSU publication and/or letting members download it. I saw this done on another site (the latter option).
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I don't think editors who already contribute their time should be charged anything, though.
 
Soodabeh Saeidnia said:
First of all, I mentioned the book price in the call for submission so anybody who believed it’s high wouldn’t submit any. Secondly and most importantly, the anthologies I published include translations which are an extra and really time consuming process. I myself invited translators to enrich the quality of translations using the vast vocabulary of both Afghan and Iranian dialect ... So imagine how many back and force emails are needed to complete the translations. The quality of our translations are only comparable with academic books.
I don’t believe that it’s even fair to think 15 $ is a high price for such a book when none of translators, illustrators and editors received a penny! All dedicated their time and efforts...
I understand and am sorry to see that the high rate of exchange made it impossible for you to order the print book but I offer the PDF file to the contributors who want it.
Click to expand...
I meant no offence to your efforts, or fine product, Soody. I only provided it as an example of a print-on-demand effort. It’s tough to get people to invest in literature outside of those directly involved in the effort. It always comes down to price for consumers...my financial woes notwithstanding I believe it is worth the price.
 
Jay Dougherty said:
Yeah. I think that would argue for just releasing it as an ISSU publication and/or letting members download it. I saw this done on another site (the latter option).
Click to expand...
Try kindle! You can publish free of charge and the final book would cost a few dollars, then you have a choice to release the paperback too. I’m saying this because colorful entries will raise the cost of book for buyers but they have a choice to have it if they are really interested in.
 
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Jordan Trethewey said:
I meant no offence to your efforts, or fine product, Soody. I only provided it as an example of a print-on-demand effort. It’s tough to get people to invest in literature outside of those directly involved in the effort. It always comes down to price for consumers...my financial woes notwithstanding I believe it is worth the price.
Click to expand...
And @Soodabeh Saeidnia is very kind to provide the PDF to contributors. :)
 
Jordan Trethewey said:
I meant no offence to your efforts, or fine product, Soody. I only provided it as an example of a print-on-demand effort. It’s tough to get people to invest in literature outside of those directly involved in the effort. It always comes down to price for consumers...my financial woes notwithstanding I believe it is worth the price.
Click to expand...

I see, Jordan. Your comment didn’t bother me at all, I only explained why I didn’t reduce the price. If I have a trip to Canada in 2020, I’ll bring a few copies to send you and my other friends in there. :)
 
Jordan Trethewey said:
It’s tough to get people to invest in literature outside of those directly involved in the effort.
Click to expand...
Everything depends on how you are successful in advertising :D
Two of my 10 published anthologies sold very good (compared to the poetry books of course). The reason was I paid for advertisement.
 
Jordan Trethewey said:
I know now that there is a downside for we members in countries with high exchange rates with the US. For example, I couldn’t afford the latest anthology @Soodabeh Saeidnia publish (although I have work in it). She publishes to bring fresh voices to Persian readers..a great revel undertaking. The book...$15...in the US, is double in Canada!
Click to expand...

as i mentioned in my post about using
Ingram Sparks to publish...you can create a unique individual sales price for each country

Ingram Sparks also prints in different areas of the world which reduces shipping costs
 
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