Greetings Babbagers!
First, my sincere apologies for being so absent in recent months. As happens with all of us, RL sometimes trumps our SL plans, but my heart remains in New Babbage.
But on with the show: today we’re officially announcing Tales of New Babbage, Volume 2.
As many of you will recall (and can see from the widget on the side of the BAR), Tales of New Babbage, Volume 1 – a collection of short stories written by Babbagers and about Babbage – was released in December of 2011 to rave reviews. A few copies from the initial hardcopy printing are still available at http://babbagefictionpress.com/.
The eBook for Volume One is now available!
CONCEPT
The idea is this: let’s assemble a collection of New Babbage-related short stories and publish them to the broader world in both paper and digital forms. Contributions can come from anyone (resident or otherwise), but must involve the city in some way (setting, character, history, etc.). We crowdfund (pre-sell, really) any publication charges, and promote it ourselves. Any proceeds in excess of costs go to the Tenk and the City’s rainy day fund.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Anyone is welcome to submit a story (between 600 and 7,500 words). It doesn’t have to be a new one (although they would certainly be welcome), but it shouldn’t be one that appeared in the last volume. [Note: please ask Canolli Capalini for guidance in submitting stories previously submitted to the Flash Fiction contest she runs every year.]
If your story is selected, you’ll be asked to sign a brief copyright agreement that allows the piece to appear in the anthology. (You’ll retain all other rights.) That document needs to be signed in your own name (avatar signatures aren’t recognized by courts yet), but we promise to respect avatar autonomy.
Ceejay Writer has agreed to help review, select, and edit the stories that will appear in volume two (if you’d like to help, please contact her directly).
The deadline for submissions is NOVEMBER 25, 2012.
Please send them to submissions@babbagefictionpress.com
If you have questions, please contact me at cleanslate@babbagefictionpress.com
[img_assist|nid=5960|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=495|height=640]
[img_assist|nid=4416|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=640|height=640]
I am unable to purchase volume 1, much as I’d like to do so. Google says my address in England is not valid for delivery. Is there a way in which I may pay someone to buy a copy and send it to me (obviously postage and packing will be included in the price)?
Mr. Cleanslate,
Most excellent and welcomed news from you, sir. Welcome back to New Babbage. We look forward to the publication of your second volume and would like to wish you every success in your endeavor!
Your Friends at Penny Gaff Publishing
Thanks all.
Due to popular demand, the deadline for submissions is now NOVEMBER 25, 2012.
(But get your submissions in early, if you can! Ceejay and I want to to do as little copyediting during the holiday season as possible…)
May we include illustrations, if not too extensive or complicated?
I brought this up, it is prohibitively expensive for print editions. maybe feasible for an e-version.
All right! working as we speak!
I am very excited about the prospect of enjoying more stories from the talented writers of New Babbage!
A reminder – we’d like to give consideration to the stories that were submitted for the Air Kraken Festival story contest. No guarantee of inclusion BUT they will be in the pool to be reviewed. If anyone who entered that does not want to have their story considered, just let me know!
I am always reachable at ceejay.writer@gmail com – my inworld time is very sporadic, and I am unable to rely on chat clients, so email really is preferable, and welcome. :)
Would love to have my Air Kraken story considered – do i have to submit it again, or is it already in the pool?
I guess I’ll send in the improved versions soon then.
It’s already in the pool, Tepic, thanks! I have copies of all the stories submitted.
Just for the record – I’m working on a piece about the annual Rallye Parterre, an all-terrain road rally involving custom-made steamwagons, with entrants from all over the Steamlands and at least three teams from Babbage. It’s held in the Fells every year.
Oh and a Halloween short story about the vicious murderer of streetwalkers we had in the streets two years ago – the one who was never caught. :)
What is everyone else working on?
I’m working on a story from Rayn’s perspective (one of my alts which hopefully I can get through since it is in first person) and finish writing a messenger story I was going to add to one of the oiling festivals. Would be good to flex my skills again since I have been a bit out of it lately.
I’m working on a short about a social commentator with an extremely popular aether radio show, who has a problem with … um, bugs.
No, not at all like Bug Jack Barron.
I shall say no more.
Felisa has something to share, if she can find a chronicler she trusts. (i.e. if her typist can get off her lazy butt and write the darn thing down)
Mr. Arkright shall complain about the noise.
I’m working on doing something, once I’ve had a cup of tea.
“The Wiggyfish That Ate New Babbage” already finished and submitted…a tale of culinary horror :)
something myrtil said to me once.
Bump! The deadline is fast approaching, folks, so get your stories written and submitted!
*takes her own advice and starts scribbling madly*
My submission has already been inflicted on the long suffering Mss CeeJay.
megabump! and wishing the deadline was coming at a less hectic time of the year!
Having the deadline come on the US Thanksgiving holiday weekend can be a blessing or a curse! I know I have a 4 day weekend with low pressures… but it can be a VERY busy weekend for others.
Best of luck wrangling your muses, all!
I hope everyone is enjoying writing their stories! Or if submitted, are enjoying relaxing and grinning at those still writing!
I’d like to be sure every story submitted has made it safely down the pipeline. Phineas, I haven’t seen “The Wiggyfish That Ate New Babbage”. If you did truly submit it, could you please re-send it to me at ceejay.writer @ gmail.com? A Word document is preferred but I can handle near anything. :)
I encourage any story submitters to pop me a quick email with your name and story title, and I will check the queue to be sure it’s in place. Please pass this message around to anyone you know that has been writing for Tales 2. Thanks!
here it comes
Story received, Phineas! And as soon as I am done rolling about on the floor and howling with laughter, I’ll put it in our queue. Thanks!
Hey all! Ceejay and I are looking for a few more submissions to make up the total this year. Maybe you’ve got an old piece you could dust off and include? Maybe you’ve got time this weekend to put a short story together? Give it some thought – we’re starting the editing and layout process now but there’s still time.
Mine’s coming–I swear!
I’m trying, I’m trying, but I write like old people *… I write like old people *… well, I write slow, and my protagonist is not cooperating.
I sent a submission in tonight. Sometimes my emails don’t go through, if you do not see it, please look in the spam trap, thanks.
Deadlines always did galvanise me. I promise to have something for you.
Jonathan, can you resend your story? I didn’t see it, and I checked the spamtrap, and the drain filter ,and that place in the couch cushions where all my quarters end up too! Thanks!
I hope this is not an imposition, but I have mailed it this time direct to you, to make sure if arrives, if you don’t mind.
No imposition at all – I’d actually prefer stories get directly mailed to me! ceejay.writer @ gmail.com is monitored often!
I really wish I could have submitted! But with all the writing I’m doing for school I just can’t switch modes to write for this!
Hopefully the next deadline will be off the semester schedule for me!
My thanks to all who submitted stories! We have 20 exciting tales to share in Tales of New Babbage Volume Two!
Now the work begins. We may be contacting some of the writers as we dig into formatting and editing in the coming days, to help fine tune the stories.
I really should stock up on vitamins, coffee and eyedrops!
Hooray! Volume 2 is shaping up nicely! HUGE thanks and congratulations to all of you who submitted. Ceejay and Bookworm and I are huddled together doing logistics (thank the LORD for strong women…). They will both kill me for saying this, but if there are any last minute entries out there, we may be able to accommodate them if they arrive toute suite! *cringes*
For those of you who did submit, I need direct email addresses for you so I can send you the release forms. Please send them to cleanslate@steamweavercompany.com as soon as you can.
We’ll take pre-orders via Kickstarter shortly, to fund the hardcopy print run. Stay tuned!
For those of you that don’t know what “toute suite” means, I can translate: It means “NOW, Bucko, stop dawdling and fussing, give that sucker a title and SEND IT to the Submissions address in the initial post above and also to ceejay.writer @ gmail.com. Not next week. NOW. JUMP!”
The French do pack a lot of meaning into a few words. :)
git’r done.
Aeolus – the email keeps getting kicked back as undeliverable, but Ceejay has my email address if you need it
My email also failed. What are we doing wrong?
Mine did as well (and also found out that Apples “Mail” system didn’t use the right e-mail to send it with anyway).
Ceejay has my e-mail as well.
Weird! <cleanslate@babbagefictionpress.com> works for me (I just tested it again) – but please try <cleanslate@steamweavercompany.com> if you’re having trouble reaching me.
Actually you told us to e-mail cleanslate @ steamweavercompany . com before. So maybe I will try babbagefictionpress one.
Greetings everyone! The Kickstarter project for Volume Two is up and ready: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cleanslate/tales-of-new-babbage-vol-2
Thanks to Mr Mornington for lending us his video footage and his voice!
(If you do get a moment to help promote the project outside Babbage, please do so!)
Ordered my copy! Is that the actual cover?
half way to to printing goal as of this morning!
*looks up from editing* So! Many! Words! (and durn good ones, too!)
As Cleanslate mentioned in the initial post in this thread, “If your story is selected, you’ll be asked to sign a brief copyright agreement that allows the piece to appear in the anthology. (You’ll retain all other rights.) That document needs to be signed in your own name (avatar signatures aren’t recognized by courts yet), but we promise to respect avatar autonomy.”
We’re nearing that stage. As I was gathering up all the author’s email addresses, I realized I am missing a few. LoPixie Artful, Tepic Harlequin, and Rhianon Jameson. I encourage the hive-mind of Babbage to poke these talented writers if you see them, and ask them to drop me just a little “HELLO!” in email, identifying themselves (sometimetimes the email address doesn’t clue me in; fatferret @ gmail could be Mister John Smith in Babbage, you know?)
Also, quick mention. Those of you that thought you got a release form already, but couldn’t open it – toss it. Cleanslate has no clue what that was, but he has not yet sent release forms out. I blame Bob. But I always blame Bob.
UPDATE: releases went out Wednesday night to all email addresses I have.
$307pledged of $500 goal (as of 5:30PM US EST). Let’s blow the goal away and print 1000 copies…
*drinks*
great. cleanslate is on the sauce again.
I sent in my release form. If it needs to be redone let me know.
Funded!
Bump! (Which is appropriate, as a couple of the stories are set there. *grin*)
7 days left to get in on the Kickstarter campaign!
tease.
Oh by Cogly, I forgot to attach my scanner and get the release form done. Must .. do .. it .. tomorrow.
Bump!
13 hours to go!
Just saw a crate of books being carried into Mr. Cleanslate’s office. If you preordered, check your mail real soon.
Marvellous!
Sweet!
and if you don’t want to wait, you can get the ePub version here
http://www.lulu.com/shop/citizens-of-new-babbage/tales-of-new-babbage-volume-2/ebook/product-20603945.html