I've had an idea for a book which I think is really exciting, and has a lot of sales potential. It's an anthology in which I will hope to bring together a collection of short stories, essays, and interviews all the same subject. And no, for now I'm not telling you what the subject is!
I've never worked on an anthology and there are a couple of details that I need to iron out before I go any further. I'm hoping that someone here will be able to help me.
1) How are contributors to an anthology usually paid? I've had a look at some calls for submissions on the internet, and it seems that this varies widely. I've seen various offers: no payment at all, a copy or two of the book when it's finished, a share of the profits (which would be very difficult to administrate), or a fixed fee of $100 up to $500 (I would have liked to contribute to that one!). It has been suggested that I approach a number of well-known writers directly and offer payment for their contributions, and also make a call for submissions in which I offer free copies as payment, but this doesn't seem very fair to me.
2) What sort of proposal will I need to put together for this? I've always sold non-fiction on the basis of a synopsis, an outline or detailed chapter-list, and a few sample chapters. I won't be able to put this book together until I have a deal for it, but without knowing exactly what is going to be inside it, it's going to be difficult to write a decent synopsis. And while I might find a few appropriate pieces online to include as my sample chapters (with the writers' permission, of course), it is unlikely that I'll find exactly what I want. I assume that I'll have to write an introduction of sorts to include with my proposal but again, I won't be able to finalise that until I have the final text to comment on. Catch 22.
I really would welcome all advice and suggestions on this one, but I have only the very vaguest ideas of how to proceed. Thank you.
(Incidentally, it is well worth Googling for the phrase "call for submissions", as there are lots of people out there asking for submissions to commissioned anthologies, and many of them are offering payment. Just a thought.)
I've never worked on an anthology and there are a couple of details that I need to iron out before I go any further. I'm hoping that someone here will be able to help me.
1) How are contributors to an anthology usually paid? I've had a look at some calls for submissions on the internet, and it seems that this varies widely. I've seen various offers: no payment at all, a copy or two of the book when it's finished, a share of the profits (which would be very difficult to administrate), or a fixed fee of $100 up to $500 (I would have liked to contribute to that one!). It has been suggested that I approach a number of well-known writers directly and offer payment for their contributions, and also make a call for submissions in which I offer free copies as payment, but this doesn't seem very fair to me.
2) What sort of proposal will I need to put together for this? I've always sold non-fiction on the basis of a synopsis, an outline or detailed chapter-list, and a few sample chapters. I won't be able to put this book together until I have a deal for it, but without knowing exactly what is going to be inside it, it's going to be difficult to write a decent synopsis. And while I might find a few appropriate pieces online to include as my sample chapters (with the writers' permission, of course), it is unlikely that I'll find exactly what I want. I assume that I'll have to write an introduction of sorts to include with my proposal but again, I won't be able to finalise that until I have the final text to comment on. Catch 22.
I really would welcome all advice and suggestions on this one, but I have only the very vaguest ideas of how to proceed. Thank you.
(Incidentally, it is well worth Googling for the phrase "call for submissions", as there are lots of people out there asking for submissions to commissioned anthologies, and many of them are offering payment. Just a thought.)
