Q: Will I lose ownership of my story if I contribute it to the book?
A: Definitely not. It’s your story, you’re just choosing to share it in this collection. There will be a copyright placed on the book, but that is only to protect someone from taking a story and turning it into a movie, etc., without seeking approval from the author. Each person maintains ownership over their story regardless of the copyright.
Q: I’ve got a good story but I’m not a good writer. Will I get help with editing/grammar?
A: Yes, absolutely. All selected stories will go through a co-editing process with each respective author.
Q: Can I write a story with another fire friend, squad, crew?
A: Yes. So long as it is a true story the submission can be collaboratively written.
Q: Do I get anything for being a contributor?
A: Beyond having your content published in a book -which will be available worldwide- each contributor will receive a free copy of the volume they were published in, as well as a couple of other tokens of appreciation. For example: Each contributor of Hold and Improve -Volume Alpha received some awesome gear from Mystery Ranch, which was graciously donated by the company in support of this project.
Q: I see that some of the proceeds will be donated, but how much? Where does the rest go?
A: 10% of book sales will be donated to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, because they take care of our folks when we need it most. And if you purchase a copy of Hold and Improve at the foundation they will get 60% of the proceeds.
I wish that all of the proceeds from Hold and Improve could be donated, but it’s just not financially feasible. This book is independently published, which means a great deal of time and effort goes into making each volume of Hold and Improve. There are fees associated with formatting, design, editing, copy-editing, marketing, and also printing/distribution costs. The reality is that authors make a very small percentage of what a book is actually sold for. Often times, it doesn’t even cover all of your costs.