The Book Project - Discuss, Anticipate, Collaborate here

[KittyHawk]

Fellow Brokeaholics, let's turn this obsession into a project.  Here's your opportunity to throw out your ideas on what would make the best book on Brokeback Mountain, how we could use the collective wisdom that has already been expressed on this forum, how we might pool our various talents, etc. I can't wait to hear your ideas. KittyHawk


I originally wrote:

For about a month I've been lurking and learning what a classy, perceptive, articulate, creative bunch of folks are contributing to this forum. It is such a joy to be here. I don't often have much to contribute, but I really love being able to come here, when my real world friends don't quite get this obsession I have.

I know Dave is busy with another book project right now, but don't you all think that there is enough really good stuff on this forum to make a book? I've been so impressed with the analysis of the film, charaters, plot, theme, and of course all of those endless details. There must be some way to preserve the collective wisdom of this community. Doncha think? I'll even volunteer to help edit. I have a really high tolerance for tasks that would drive normal people crazy!

Dave responded with this:

That's actually a very compelling idea--and I feel more so with each person who writes me about it. I've gotten several emails and PMs suggesting the same thing the past few weeks--always a good sign.

Why don't you start a thread in the meet/greet (and if you like, feel free to mention that I told you others had also written to me about it), and welcome those people and/or others to brainstorm with you, and see where it goes from there.

Who knows. I think the main thing is getting the interested people in one place and seeing what you can come up with.

Several really great ideas have gotten started here that way.

TENTATIVE jobs and volunteers
 Keep in mind, our watchword for now is "This list is subject to change." You can always come to this first post to see what the current job list looks like. If you are not where you'd most like to be on this list, please PM me, KittyHawk.

PROJECTS DIRECTOR
peteinportland - Team Cullen representative, in charge of publishing process
            
Leadership Team:
brokebackbeauty, KittyHawk, TexRob            

Process Organizer:
desertstarlover - experience in organizational psychology, MBA-level project leadership
            
Volunteer Coordinator: BigEd

Story Scouts:   
berdache1   
Bobby19in1963
Boris
brokeback_1
conny
dcampbell01
Elvan
Garry_LH
jakelikethat
Jaysmommy
LisaM
lowcountrygirl
maturben
MindyM
NWWaguy
paintedshoes
Pierre
Poohbunn
pvjohn
secretme
Vicky0uk
Zuraffo

Phase II:
archbishop
bbm-mmm
conny
Elvan
jaysmommy
paintedshoes
royandronnie
Vicky0uk

Writers and Editors:            
berdache1 - editing, writing, organizing
Bobby19in1963
brokeback_1  - editing, writing, organizing            
dcampbell01 - write, edit, proof
Jumping Joan
Mac47
MindyM
royandronnie
Zuraffo

Clearances: - obtain permission to publish from the writers of the selected posts
Brokaholic                   
            
Art and Graphic Design:      
busterjone
ChrisFewa
trascedenza         
         
PR:
archbishop          
bbm-mmm
            
General Volunteers:                        
DanRWentselJr - volunteer            
Jenna - volunteer
Poohbunn - prepare lengthy manuscripts for publication               

Notice: Final editorial control and decision making as well as all rights and proceeds from this book remain with Dave Cullen and davecullen.com. Proceeds will be used for this site including campaigns, projects, and general site expenses.

- - - - - - - - - -
Originally Posted by TexRob
« Reply #264 on: March 28, 2006, 10:17:26 AM »

Hi All --
KittyHawk, TexRob and brokebackbeauty would like to take a moment to give the people on this thread an idea of where we are on the book project. The ideas mentioned below are subject to change. Please let us know what you think and what revisions you suggest, either by posting here in the thread or by PM.


What’s the idea behind the “book project?”

The idea is that the posts of members of this forum are compelling enough to provide a unique source of writings suitable for publication.  Because of the impressive range of stories here, we in fact have the basis for several books covering distinct subjects.  With the explicit permission of the authors, we’d like to use some of their posts for a book.


What’s this first book about?

The book we’re currently working on will be a collection of accounts posted by forum members detailing the personal impact Brokeback Mountain has had on their lives.


What’s the message of our first book?  What’s the goal?

The message we wish to send with this first book is that the movie Brokeback Mountain has had an impact on people unlike that of any movie ever made.  The reflection of the social repression in the lives of viewers, the transformation of peoples’ lives and choices – these are particular examples of the wide variety of stories in our forum that express this  general message. 


The goal is to relate the message to readers through the voices of our own forum members. This means publishing stories which help explain to the reader why the movie affected our members as it did, and how the effect has transformed lives.


Who will publish the book? How many copies will be printed? How will the book be sold?

The book will be published using the print-on-demand technology (POD) suitable for a web-based endeavor such as this.  The books will be printed as they’re ordered.  We’re hoping for sales of anywhere from 1000 to 5000 copies.


How many pages will it run?  What kind of dimensions will the book have?

The book will run some 250 pages as we envision it now, about 6.5" x 9" pages.


Who will buy the book?

Forum members are the primary readership for this book.  Considering the uniqueness of our message, we think the book will also have broader appeal.  Book clubs, rights organizations, even specialty bookstores might all be interested in the subject matter.  We will be considering this question as we put together the book. The posts on this thread have been helpful, and we’ll continue entertaining ideas here.


How is the project coming along?

Right now,   KittyHawk is revising the volunteer list to make sure we’re all in the right place.  The first step  will be to locate the posts suitable for the book, a process which may involve posting links to the relevant stories in one location. (Note: as of April 5, this process is well underway.)

During the second step our volunteers and scouts will switch over to choosing the most suitable posts from among those links. The chosen posts will be pasted and lightly edited, and we will have before us a body of source material to work with, all in one place.

These two processes will be the most difficult but the most important part of the project. While we have 28 volunteers, we have many thread pages to sort through.


When does it start?

As soon as we have the procedures and criteria for this selection process worked out.  KittyHawk, Brokebackbeauty and I are now discussing the best way to proceed. (Note: As of April 5, the scouting for stories is already underway.)


What’s the deadline for having the book ready?

We have wanted to do this on an eight-week cycle, which means the book should be ready close to June 1.  POD technology makes this possible.  However, we don’t want to lock ourselves into this schedule to the extent that we sacrifice the quality of the book.  This schedule is subject to change.


I’m a volunteer.  What’s next for me?

After all the scouts are identified, KittyHawk will be PMing you to work out the team organizations and team leaders.  Next, we will PM the volunteers with the exact selection procedure.  Then we’ll ask for your input to refine the procedure so as to make it as effective as possible.  Once that’s done, the reading and culling of the threads can begin. (Note: The process has already begun.)

[maturben]

Hey, folks!  At last a response---please see a post of mine, Jan. 29, main discussion thread.  Have toyed with the idea of printing off everything on this forum just for myself, but am afraid my printer would just up and die.

[rickpouch]

What a great idea for a book on BBM---Dave says he's to busy---Other ideas will be forthcoming here I'm sure.

[BigEd]

A book is an excellent idea, and I should think that a big part of the book would be devoted to its impact on individuals; how its changed lives and altered perceptions of gay relationships. But I hope that some of the published articles by professional writers could be included as well. I suspect that some of them have at least visited this board and are as fond of BBM as we are. The article that I would want to see included is entitled "An Affair to Remember", written by Daniel Mendelsohn, which can be viewed here: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18712. I have re-read this many times, and IMHO, I think its the best analysis of BBM anywhere. If its not possible to include such pieces as this, then I hope that there is a section with pointers to the articles that we on this board liked best.

Ed

[KittyHawk]

BigEd, great suggestion. I imagine several of us have bookmarked that article to re-read as often as needed. And the suggestion for having professional writers is helpful also. One of my questions whether there is meat enough (so to speak) on our BBM forum to form the basis of a book or whether we need professional help from REAL writers.

Keep the suggestions coming, and please let others know about this new little hard-to-find thread!

Thanks a bunch,

KittyHawk

[valkyrie911]

Please remember that BBM has become more than just a movie to many of us and much of what is written here are deeply personal thoughts, not to be taken lightly.

I don't think you will ever have another relationship in your life without remembering Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist after seeing Brokeback Mountain just once.

[BigEd]

One of my questions whether there is meat enough (so to speak) on our BBM forum to form the basis of a book or whether we need professional help from REAL writers.

I wouldn't want to change a word written by the people here. The greatest thing on this site is the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of those who have shared their personal stories. This has to be in their own words or it would lose much, if not all, of its impact. I like the idea of having a few pieces from professionals here and there, but the bulk should be from the people who have posted here.

These are just my thoughts, a complete amateur in publishing who has no idea of how to piece together a book. I'm sure though that there are some professional writers on this site who would have a very clear idea of what to do.....

Ed

[happycamper]

KittyHawk, I posted about it somewhere and sent an e-mail to Dave (who says he isn't in a position to take on additional projects right now) but I think an anthology of Brokeback Stories would be awesome. So many of the personal stories on the My Brokeback thread are incredibly moving - of course you would have to get permission from posters before using any of them, even if they were printed anonymously, which I would think they would be. Cara I think offered some editorial skills.

[KittyHawk]

Valkyrie911, I hope a book project wouldn't change the warm and caring atmosphere we have here in the forum. We do need to be especially careful in using posters' heartfelt and personal stories. Perhaps a "permissions" process needs to be used to be sure no one gets any unwelcome surprises. Nothing about this forum or the movie should be taken lightly - except maybe the photo captioning thread!

BigEd, you're suggesting a combination of personal impact stories and analysis by professional writers? Sounds like a nice balance. I, too, am definitely an amateur and just volunteered, at Dave's suggestion, to start this thread in an effort to give us a continuing BBM cause to gather around after the Academy Awards.

Happycamper, I'm hoping that Dave's encouragement about starting this thread means that at some point he would lend his talents and leadership to the project. I definitely agree that we need to get permission to use some of the anonymous stories here. No question there. I'm sure several people would be needed to gather the best stories, do a little editing, and generally help out those who are the real authors. I've also volunteered.

I know there are some beautiful writers who participate in various threads, so if you all run across them, please encourage them to contribute here.

Thanks for your ideas, you all. Keep 'em coming!
KittyHawk

[happycamper]

Another reason for doing this is that sadly the special experience of this movie and this forum is of a time and place. We can't recapture that time on Brokeback Mountain when the film was in the public eye and it first entered our collective consciousness. I am already thinking about how once the Oscar's are over, only a week and a half from now, things will wind down. It would be so nice to have something that would give others a sense of what we all got out of this forum.

[Jenna]

I love the idea of keeping the community together, continuing it, with a book about our collective Brokeback Mountain experiences, gathered from the posts.  I have a little bit of experience with editing and interviewing and self-publishing, as I've been publishing slash fanfiction for the last six years in print form, not on the 'net.  I volunteer to help in any way I can, but I won't be free from current projects until December.  But then.... 

And...though I've been reading and enjoying things here forever, this is the first topic I've come across that has encouraged me to actually post.  I'm really a virgin here, but...a determined, heartfelt one! 

I think a collection of essays on Brokeback, written seriously, interspersed with reactions, experiences, and discussion from the many threads of the forum, would be an excellent way to arrange the book.

A book.  The best possible idea.  Let us do this.

[happycamper]

I love the idea of keeping the community together, continuing it, with a book about our collective Brokeback Mountain experiences, gathered from the posts.  I have a little bit of experience with editing and interviewing and self-publishing, as I've been publishing slash fanfiction for the last six years in print form, not on the 'net.  I volunteer to help in any way I can, but I won't be free from current projects until December.  But then.... 

And...though I've been reading and enjoying things here forever, this is the first topic I've come across that has encouraged me to actually post.  I'm really a virgin here, but...a determined, heartfelt one! 

I think a collection of essays on Brokeback, written seriously, interspersed with reactions, experiences, and discussion from the many threads of the forum, would be an excellent way to arrange the book.

A book.  The best possible idea.  Let us do this.

Welcome Jenna! Can you say a bit more about what the essays would entail? Critics reviews, analyses from this forum, essays written expressly for the book?

[Jaysmommy]

On the practical side of things, I'd like to suggest that non-profit organizations be tapped to underwrite this project....LAMBDA, P-FLAG, amfAR, MatthewShepard Foundation, Human Rights Campaign...just to mention a few that might want to participate. I believe this book could be a hugely important tool in the War on Hate and Ignorance...all sales of this book should be donated 100% to, perhaps a new foundation created out of the phenomenon of BBM.

Very judicious editing would be important to this project....there are countless posts that express so brilliantly this emotional journey we are all on...I know little about the book publishing business, but I'm sure our fearless leader, Mr. Cullen would agree that behind every great book there is a great editor.

This book could be an excellent educational tool at the university level. It could be useful for various recovery programs, and in other therapeutic environments..

These are my right-off-the-top-of-my-head suggestions, sorry if I'm repeating others thoughts, I haven't yet read through this thread...

[Nick_F]

[
I wouldn't want to change a word written by the people here. The greatest thing on this site is the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of those who have shared their personal stories. This has to be in their own words or it would lose much, if not all, of its impact. I like the idea of having a few pieces from professionals here and there, but the bulk should be from the people who have posted here.

I agree, just snapshots of the stories. Flashes of the pains, awakenings, hope, struggles. There is an awful lot of song lyrics and poetry on the boards too.

A coherent collection of photos of contributors, if they are happy to do so. Prologue by Dave.

[Nick_F]

Oh yes some wyoming/alberta landscapes!!!

A perfect foil for the stories