WotC Seeking Your Setting Proposals (was "Big Wizard announcement")

[Arthur Tealeaf]

Question

Would it be possible to include a very simple illustration or diagram, just for explaining something that's not easily explained through words???

Just something like a circle, a square and maybe an arrow and some words to tell you what it is, nothing more complicated than that. Something that takes up veeery little of a page.

Now, please answer this, 'cause it might be important...

(okay, I admit, important to ME and MY PROPOSAL! Mwahahaha!)

 

[Wolfspirit]

Re: Question

Would it be possible to include a very simple illustration or diagram, just for explaining something that's not easily explained through words???

Q. If it fits on the one page of the submission, is some eycatching art (such as a logo) acceptable?
A. “This is fine.”

 

[Wolfspirit]

To be clear:

I should put my name (and, of course, my contact info) in the cover letter, but I should NOT put my name on the entry itself? That's what it sounds like to me, from certain previous answers, but I'm unclear on this point.

Proposals should be no more than one page in length, typewritten. Please put the name of the entrant in the LOWER LEFT-HAND CORNER of the page and nowhere else

-from the announcement

(my guess is that they're wanting the name in case the two get separated, but are going to rip it off before sent to judges. Like standardized tests

 

[Talaysen]

Oh - d'oh, I remember reading that part now. Thanks.

 

[Ozy]

Question: is it acceptable to include a background paragraph, especially if this has a large impact on the answers to the listed questions?

Ozy

 

[Ghostwind]

As long as everything fits on a single page, you can put whatever the heck you wish. Just make sure you answer the basic 6 template questions. If there is still adequate room on the page, you can add whatever else you deem to be of importance. Remember folks, this is only a one page synopsis. You don't have to fill the page with the entire history of your world. Keep it simple and keep it professional. And proofread the heck out of it.

 

[Voneth]

I don't know why so many people are wetting their pants about Monte et al submitting proposals, or puffing up their chests at the thought they may be up against the big boys and girls. A professional writer wouldn't sell anything they thought was halfway decent for USD$120,000. 120K plus royalties, maybe.

Like Eric or someone said, this would be a great way for someone to get a leg up into publishing. However, that doesn't make it a good deal for an established writer.

What the heck is your definition of a professional writer?!?

A recent survey shows that the number of authors who can live off their own writing has shrunk from 50% to less than 25%. And most of them (even writers you probably read right now) don't become self-sufficent until they write their 7th book.

For the amount of work asked for compared to the work and pitching they and their agents have to do for a real novel, this contest is a dream come true.

Never mind the idea of getting a one week turnaround on a one-page synopsis, compared to the 2 months it takes minimum for a book agent to send you a form letter. Never mind the time it takes to wait on the publisher's slush pile.

Royalities? That is publishing industry thing, not a game industry policy. Most gaming stuff in "work for hire" which means a one time fee or a salary if you're on staff.

And even in publisihing, some writers don't see royalities if their book doesn't pay out past the amount the Publisher gave in an Advance. That is the reason it is called an advance, it is a sum of money given to the writer that will be taken out of royalities later.

Why?

It's easier and quicker once you are established and have an agent to pitch just an idea instead of writing the whole book. Then the advance pays the bills while one gets the book done. Royalities come after the book is on the shelf and by then the writer is living off another advance. It's a vicious cycle. Unless a book is a solid seller, basicly the royalites pay off the advance.

Why does the publishing industry do this? It lets them determine who really becomes self sufficient as a writer (but only after they sign a contract with them). Steven King got $200,000 for Carrie in the 1970s. His publishers wanted him full time and theirs, hook, line and sinker. Lets say that money is worth $300,000 these days (probably an exageration). which is a little more than double the WotC one-time fee.

So do you think you are half the writer Stephen King is?

 

[SteveMND]

Would it be possible to include a very simple illustration or diagram, just for explaining something that's not easily explained through words???

Just something like a circle, a square and maybe an arrow and some words to tell you what it is, nothing more complicated than that. Something that takes up veeery little of a page.

Now, please answer this, 'cause it might be important...p

Offhand, I'd say that if you have something that you cannot explain without the use of diagrams or illustrations, it's probably too complicated to include in the initial one-page summary. This first round of submissions is more a competition of concise writing skills than anything else.

Steve M

 

[wdodd]

This first round of submissions is more a competition of concise writing skills than anything else.

I have to disagree. They are going to get thousands of submissions and I guess that getting into the top 50 is going to depend entirely on grabbing the panelist's attention and tickling their imagination in the first sentence or two. Nice tight, carefully crafted prose is not going to be the deciding factor in the first read of your submission - it has to demand attention.

Now I imagine the ten-pagers will definitely demand concise writing skills and tight prose to make the next cut.

Of course, I could be entirely wrong about that

 

[Blueicus]

hmm...

A clever idea is a good thing, but if you need such a complex diagram to convey a one page idea, then it may be too convoluted to be worth learning about.

On the other hand, they also don't want anything 'too out there' in fear of alienating a large chunk of the potential audience. If something is deemed too exotic and 'clever' (you can also have a clever idea on mundane subjects as well, of course) it won't make the cut either.

So, as the banner boy for moderation, it's good to hedge your bets and be proficient at both writing well and writing creatively.

It's like skimming through ten thousand resumes, will you really bother to take half an hour to read through a very resume that requires you follow diagrams or will you want a concise, well organized yet snazzy resume?