Scruffians Stamp: Sold to... Everyone!
Yep, it looks like the experiment was a success. As of today the total donations reached £69, which my currency converter widget tells me is $109. So we've hit the hundred dollars mark I was aiming for, and that means "Scruffians Stamp" is now available to everyone. There's the original pdf and, courtesy of Meika Samorzewski and Eric Rosenfield, it's also available in pdb and epub formats. Of course, just cause you don't have to donate now, don't mean I won't appreciate it; and if we break the $150 mark that basically means the story's made pro rates. Which is a definite plus point when it comes to how much I wanna try this again. In fact, I'm reckoning that might be a good Stage Two in the experiment. So, yeah, let's say if donations reach $150, I'll go for it again. Brand new story -- pdf or doc -- to all what donates, and if donations hit a decent target it goes up on a fileshare site for free download.
Cause at the moment I am interested in repeating the experiment. The results have been quite interesting -- with some rather chunky donations pushing the total up a good way towards the target (and you know who you are, and I bless you indeed, you fine folks.) Actually, even those smaller amounts donated were pretty generous for a single short story, I'd say. So, I'll be curious as to how a second such release works out, as and when I give it a go. Is it the sort of thing that only works as a one-off now and then on the basis of generosity more than anything else? Or can you make it work regularly as long as you're producing the goods?
I know I do kinda like the idea. It seems kinda old school, like being a storyteller on the streets, a spinner of tall tales sitting in the agora with a bowl in front of them. Actually, it feels sorta appropriate to a story about Scruffians what survives by thieving and begging and general low cunning. I'm sorely tempted to just do this with Scruffians stories on principle. Makes me feel right Scruffian meself, see, telling lies for a living. And while it'd be nice to just do the literary busking and trust folk to throw some dosh in the hat, this has worked substantially better than just chucking the work up for download and inviting donations on the honour system (as I tried with "Die, Vampire, Die!").
So, a huge thanks to those who've donated. Bless yez all, each and every one of yez.
Cause at the moment I am interested in repeating the experiment. The results have been quite interesting -- with some rather chunky donations pushing the total up a good way towards the target (and you know who you are, and I bless you indeed, you fine folks.) Actually, even those smaller amounts donated were pretty generous for a single short story, I'd say. So, I'll be curious as to how a second such release works out, as and when I give it a go. Is it the sort of thing that only works as a one-off now and then on the basis of generosity more than anything else? Or can you make it work regularly as long as you're producing the goods?
I know I do kinda like the idea. It seems kinda old school, like being a storyteller on the streets, a spinner of tall tales sitting in the agora with a bowl in front of them. Actually, it feels sorta appropriate to a story about Scruffians what survives by thieving and begging and general low cunning. I'm sorely tempted to just do this with Scruffians stories on principle. Makes me feel right Scruffian meself, see, telling lies for a living. And while it'd be nice to just do the literary busking and trust folk to throw some dosh in the hat, this has worked substantially better than just chucking the work up for download and inviting donations on the honour system (as I tried with "Die, Vampire, Die!").
So, a huge thanks to those who've donated. Bless yez all, each and every one of yez.
Labels: scruffians
posted by Hal Duncan | 5:21 pm
3 Comments:
One might need plucker to read the .pdb, if your favourite Palm ereader cannot.
http://www.plkr.org
Tried to leave this note on the download page and it was declined because it 'contained inappropriate wording'.
Can't think why.
I'm happy this first go has been a success! You can count me in for such endeavors in the future as I'm a disturbingly loyal reader... but I hope others soon join the "stave off hunger for Hal" bandwagon!
I do want to say though that calling $150 "professional wage" is a joke. If you spend a week writing a short story and get a $150, that's not a professional wage. Maybe if you spent a day writing it, which I suppose is possible, but even so to be "professional" at it, you'd have to do that every day, five days a week. So, yeah, a joke.
Post a Comment
<< Home