The first point to consider in taking on such a
thing is HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MARBLES? Why?
Because while it is undoubtedly a worthwhile project, it can be a total
nightmare!
Have you considered the time or effort it
requires? Are you prepared to eat, sleep
and think Poems, Prose and worse of all Punctuation? Can you type, select, edit, liaise, confer, beg,
borrow and emotionally blackmail?
Will you attend meetings, write cheques, create
and paint at 2 in the morning, compute, reboot and frequently rehash for 12
hours a day. Will you trek all over; telephone
and co-ordinate till you forget what your home looks like. If so then maybe you have some of the
qualities necessary to begin the process.
Where to start? The beginning obviously, ah
seems so simple but at what part do you consider the beginning, the idea, the
finance, the printers, or the collection of material?
Take my advice. Don’t start! Think, liaise, research, do anything but
actually start. Why? Because you don’t
know anything about it and starting in the wrong place can be a major headache
later on. It’s enough that you need the
patience of a saint, the foresight of a fortune-teller and the determination of
Hercules without adding to the workload.
Still interested? In that case read on. There are two ways of going about it, either
in a team or on your own. If you decide
to work on your own then all the decisions are yours so you have to be prepared
to make them. If working in a team then
everyone needs to be committed and work well together.
There are advantages in working on your
own. You are the head honcho and the
buck stops here, nobody to argue with or tell you what to do. However this means the workload can be
crippling and you have to be up for it.
Working in a team has the advantage of sharing the responsibility but if
you don't keep each other constantly briefed on developments you may find you
are duplicating work or even worse overlooking vital aspects.
Timescales are important. Don’t make yourselves deadlines that you
can’t possibly keep. Rushing can lead to
silly mistakes and spoil all your hard work. Have a budget in mind and be
prepared to make tough cost cutting decisions, unless of course you have
unlimited resources.
First stop is research. Talk to your local printers, after all they
produce material everyday. By getting an
idea of cost for different sizes, covers, black and white or colour can help
with deciding how you want to stylise your anthology. Try several companies to find the best
value.
If you are entering a competition it doesn’t
hurt to check out the competition. Find
out what the judges like and adhere to the criteria. Review past winners but don’t copy. Individuality is impressive and will stick in
the judge’s mind.
You can't have an anthology without material to
put in it. Start collecting early. The more you have the more varied and
interesting it will be. If you can get
the work typed or better still on disk life will be far easier. Just make sure that the computer programmes
are compatible, if it’s not then you can spend hours trying to sort it and
worse of all having to retype.
If you do have to type up work a good tip is to
get the author to proofread it. The
content may be exemplary but spelling and punctuation can be a major headache
especially if it’s not the typist’s strong point. Remember computer spell-checks are stupid and won't tell you if you put
and instead of an! After you have typed
the work get the author to check it. Not
everyone’s handwriting is their strong point. I know mine isn't.
Regarding money, if you have an unlimited budget
then lucky you. Otherwise you need to
raise the cash. Sponsored events, car-boot sales, cake stalls, donations and
grants are all good ways to finance your anthology. Just remember to use the money wisely, use
scrap paper and quick print for draft copies.
For alterations and proofreading use different coloured pens then more
than one person can work on the same copy.
If you are planning on having illustrations black and white are cheaper
but if you insist on colour, a picture thumbnail size costs the same as a full
page. Is it really worth it?
How do you decide what order to put your entries
in? It’s entirely up to you. It could be alphabetically, themed, alternative or
just personal preference. When all else
fails put them in a hat and pick them out. It really doesn't matter but take
the audience into account. Too many long
items at the beginning can put people off.
You want them to think ‘this looks good’ so start with an
eye-catcher. There’s nothing like
personal recommendation and generally the first and last items are what people
remember.
The best way to actually see if the anthologies
the way you want it is by good old fashioned trial and error. Once you think its right put it down and come
back to it later. Rereading after a
break can make you change your mind. Don’t be afraid to ask for another person’s opinion. You do not HAVE to
their advice, but you can be too close to a project to see errors that may be
glaring to other people. Once in print
there’s not much you can do about it unless you alter them prior to
distribution, which can be an expensive business.
The main thing is to enjoy what you’re
doing. There maybe times when you could
pull your hair out. That’s only natural,
but unless you are very lucky, lack of enthusiasm is bound to be reflected in
the final product. It really is a labour
of love and if you aren't prepared for it then think twice before starting.
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