Question: How did you first invite contributors to participate?
Answer: With this invitation:
Dear Friends and Lovers of Art and Culture,
This summer I am writing a book about Davis, and I could use your help. As part of my outreach and civic work as Davis Poet Laureate and as Chair of the Cultural Action Committee of the City of Davis, I am creating a guidebook that highlights things to do and see, with a focus on art, music, theatre, and, not surprisingly, poetry in Davis. The guide will also highlight recreational opportunities in Davis, including the many manifestations of our bike culture; favorite restaurants, especially those that offer live music and other entertainments; local attractions of all sorts, including our farmers market, festivals, and events; and everything cultural that is unique to this city.
Hoping to reflect the variety, creativity and spirit of our city, I seek to represent many voices in The Guide to Davis. You and people you know might have stories and areas of expertise to share, or even an eloquent phrase that best describes a retail store, a restaurant experience, or a Davis bicycling adventure. I welcome your participation in this project, whether it be something as small as suggesting additions to the table of contents, or as large as writing a small section or two of the book.
Right now at the Guide to Davis website (at http://www.guidetodavis.com) you will find an introduction, a table of contents, a list of contributors, a short list of frequently asked questions, and a participation page with a number of writing prompts. You are invited to use the form on that participation page to offer any sort of comment, suggestion, or submission. Anyone who offers a substantive submission that appears in the book will be asked to provide a short contributor’s bio (to appear on the webpage and in the book); such contributors will receive a copy of the ebook when it is published, we hope by this fall. Submissions of photographs, illustrations, and maps are also welcome.
10% of all profits made from book sales will be donated to the Yolo Poetry Center, a non-profit organization that I am also launching this summer. I hope once again to start compensating poets and others who perform for us on Poetry Night at the John Natsoulas Gallery, as well as encourage poets to visit Yolo County schools. Perhaps this book could help with those endeavors.
So please check out the website, http://www.guidetodavis.com, and consider adding something to the participation page, no matter how small. Future features of the website will include sample chapters, a list of resources, a mailing list, and a pre-order page for The Guide to Davis: An Exploration of the Cultural Offerings of California’s Most Relevant City.
Best,
Dr. Andy Jones
Where will the Guide to Davis be sold?
Answer: Originally, online.
Using Smashwords and Gumroad, this book will be available initially via the Smashwords website and, with bonuses, right here at guidetodavis.com. Later we will make it available via Amazon and, eventually, in book form at The Avid Reader, Logos Books, and everywhere books are sold. Hotels and realtor in Davis have already expressed interest in preordering copies of The Guide to Davis.
What sort of contributions are you looking for?
Answer: Anything creative, substantive, and supported by specifics.
We hope you will consider submitting a favorite Davis memory, a short review of a favorite restaurant or retailer, a list of what you love about Davis (and why), or anything else that helps to communicate the flavor of this city. Photos are also welcome. Please submit your thoughts via the page we have established for this function. And thanks!
What sort of contract will apply to my contribution to The Guide to Davis?
This one. The legalese took us forever to write.