Jump to content

AVEN Book – We Need Your Help!


AVENguy

Recommended Posts

Listen up and listen good.

As many of you are already aware, Keith (kaw143) and I have been working on a book proposal for the past several months. We’ve managed to hammer out an outline, get two chapters written, drum up some contacts at high-powered publishing companies who have expressed interest, and otherwise gotten all of our ducks in a row.

We have every reason to expect that we’ll get a book deal, probably a pretty good one, and if our level of media exposure is any indication a book that’s done right could do very, very well and get discussion going about asexuality in a way that nothing we’ve done so far has even touched. So how do we make sure that the book is done right?

The most interesting thing about asexuality, by far, is us. Our community is a place where people are talking about experiences that have never been talked about before, we’re having discussions about happiness and relationships and sexuality that are truly groundbreaking. If we could somehow package AVEN membership and sell it in book form, we’d have a best seller.

That’s why we want to try out what I’m calling a “community narrative.” We want to take all of the most important parts of our experiences as asexual people and all of the most interesting ideas that get talked about here on AVEN string them together to form a book. It’s still an experiment, but we want to try a writing process that looks a little like this:

Step 1) We create an outline, a loose structure of what ideas we’re going to talk about and how we’re going to talk about them.

Step 2) Keith and I write short segments illustrating the concepts in the outline. We use our life experiences to make it interesting, and create a set of clear, concise ideas that will resound with readers and that you all can play off of.

Step 3) We post the segments here on AVEN in a special hidden section of the forum. Members of the AVEN Book Team read them and respond either with their thoughts or with stories from their lives or ideally with both.

Step 4) Keith and I go through and select comments to include as a part of the chapter that we send to the publisher.

Like I said before, this whole process is still experimental. We want to try it with one chapter, see what we come up with and see how the publishers respond to it when we include it in our proposal. That being said, I’m VERY excited to involve everyone here in the process, and I’m confident that including your stories will make this book a whole lot more compelling.

Because of copyright and publishing rules we can’t post the chapters we’re working on publicly. Instead we’re posting them on a private section of the forum, which will only be viewable to people who volunteer for the AVEN Book Team. To volunteer for the team just respond to this thread or e-mail me at webmaster@asexuality.org. You’ll receive further instructions in the AVEN Book forum.

Edit: I'm accepting everyone who's volunteered so far, but from now on I'll only be accepting people into the team who have made at least 50 posts.

Link to post
Share on other sites
LostPenguin

For the closet asexuals here... And out of my own curiosity, would the portions written by AVEN members label them by their real names, or would there be some optional level of anonymity?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm all for this :D and happy to help, if I can.

LP, I'd assume that you can ask to have your name left out if your comments go in...

Link to post
Share on other sites

LP,

We haven't figured that out explicitely, but there will definitely be an option for people to contribute anonymously.

Link to post
Share on other sites
LostPenguin

w00t. Good to know.

..And now this still-slightly-closet-asexual is interested as well! :oops:

Link to post
Share on other sites
Children of the sloth

I REALLY want to work on this. It's now my life goal to help in some way. (Especially if there's something about young asexuals in there.)

Link to post
Share on other sites
fraughtingsoulswithinher

Like others, I'm not sure what help I'd be, but I'd love to be a part of this project. If notheing else I suppose I lend a bit younger prospective....

Link to post
Share on other sites
Abbey Normal

I'm definitely in. I'm not really much of a writer and haven't gotten the kind of problems that a lot of people have, but I can chime in and represent the "asexual in the womb" crowd.

Link to post
Share on other sites
SpirallingSnowy

Would love to help in anyway i can! Definately a worthy project!!! Count me in! :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds like an awesome idea, and I think it'll definately make a difference. Count me in!

Link to post
Share on other sites
crazyjerseygirl

I'm in. iv'e read enough books, would be nice to contribute to one.

TTFN

Renee'

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wouldn't miss it for all the cake in... wherever lots of cake comes from.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...