NCompass Live - http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ncompasslive/ July 16, 2014 Libraries are well positioned to encourage customers and community in fiction writing and content creation. The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library's Community Novel Project is an opportunity for the Topeka community to work together to conceptualize, write, edit, narrate, and publish a complete novel. Each successive year we experiment and expand our annual project to model the evolving skill set necessary for writers wishing to self-publish their own work in digital, print on demand or audiobook formats. Engage with your community of writers and readers and establish the library as a trusted resource for 21st century writers! Presenters: Lissa Staley and Miranda Ericsson, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library.

1. Engaging Writers with
a Community Novel
Project
Encouraging fiction writers to collaborate, write, edit and publish a
novel together – at your library!
Lissa Staley estaley@tscpl.org
Miranda Ericsson mericsson@tscpl.org

2. Why are libraries involved in this?
• Libraries have always supported authors with research assistance.
• Now we have the unique opportunity to support writers by teaching
them the skills and techniques for writing fiction and self-publishing it
through the available and emerging platforms.
• Content creation is the next step for libraries who want to connect with
their communities.

3. What we’ve accomplished (so far)
• Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has completed two Community
Novel Projects with twenty authors each contributing a chapter to the novel
which was serialized and then published by the library.
• Capital City Capers (2012) and Speakeasy (2013) are available from
amazon.com and smashwords.com.
• Two additional projects are underway by local writers and facilitated by the
library, including a juvenile novel.
• The organizational process and behind the scenes experiences are freely
shared for others to learn and experiment with community-written novels in
their own communities.
• Learn more at tscpl.org/community-novel.

4. Working in Pilot
Project Mode
Taking risks is fun!

5. How did this get started?
• In January 2012, Lissa was pulled into a brainstorming meeting about
libraries and content creation
• When deciding the timeline
– If each author has a month to write their chapter, a novel could spread over 2 years
– One chapter per week spreads the project over 5 months
• Because of Lissa’s connections with local writers through previous fiction
writing programming, she took the lead in facilitating the writers
• Lissa wrote the first chapter and approached writers individually to invite
participation, particularly until the novel began publishing online
• Library management worked on copyright release forms, web graphics, and
funding for printing the books

6. 2012: Capital City Capers
• Writing
– Weekly deadlines, weekly publishing of html and pdf version
• Publication
– 20 Serialized on library website for 20 consecutive weeks
– Printed book at Author Launch Book Party
– Printed book available on amazon.com and in library collection
• Design
– Print layout in Adobe InDesign, printed through CreateSpace
– Some b&w photograph illustrations and author photos
• Marketing
– Project organizers recorded podcast

7. TSCPL’s first community novel in 2012 was an exciting learning experience for
all involved – but we met the deadlines, published a chapter each week online,
and had a finished printed book in time for the Author Book Launch Party on
Sunday, September 30, 2012!

8. Need to improve for next year
• Writers should be engaged in creating premise
• Build “emergency weeks” into writing schedule
• Add an online forum for sharing chapters to increase collaboration
• Develop a stronger editing team earlier in the process
• Use layout software that is more available to home computer users to
model the way

9. The 2012 Novel Capital City Capers was serialized online each week on the
library’s website. A printable version was made available for writers who
wanted to print out their work to share with others.

10. Unavoidable challenges
• Wrangling 20 individual authors to each meet deadlines
• Encouraging authors to honor the chapters before their writing and leave
space for the chapters to come
• Creating and editing fiction collaboratively while valuing each person’s
contributions
• Encouraging readership of the serialized novel and increasing interaction
between readers and writers
• “Confirmation of CreateSpace Order” – You won’t know for sure the delivery
date of the printed books, or the final price of printing each book until you
have a manuscript ready for printing and actually order it. Until then, you are
just estimating, hoping and working quickly.
• There will be other unknowns. We can’t tell you what they will be.

11. For the 2012 novel, we did design and layout in InDesign and used
Createspace as our printer with distribution through amazon.com.
The finished novel is available on amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Capital-City-Capers-Lissa-Staley/dp/1479233358

12. 2012 by the numbers
• 20 authors, some published for the first time
• Printed books cost $3.37 a book plus $0.43
each in shipping
• $3.80 total cost, sold for $5 preorder and $6 at
Book Launch
• 87 books printed
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches, 210
pages

13. This wasn’t a one person project. Read the three pages of
acknowledgements on the amazon preview to see the variety of
people who contributed time and talent to create a true community
novel.
http://www.amazon.com/Capital-City-Capers-Lissa-Staley/dp/1479233358

14. 2012 Participant feedback
• It pushed me outside my comfort zone, and honestly, I liked that.
• I liked being able to be part of a published work.
• I want to do this again if given the opportunity. It was amazing. Thank
you.
– I also enjoyed thoroughly the reactions of
those writers who had never experienced
having something they'd written published -
watching several of them clutch the novel to
their bosoms was priceless.

15. Year 2: Expanding the
Pilot Project
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

16. Second Year: 2013 - SpeakEasy
• In its second year, more than 20 writers contributed chapters
for the novel Speakeasy, which was serialized on the TSCPL
website at www.tscpl.org/community-novel from April to
August 2013.
• The website also offered extras for readers in the community,
including behind the scenes information on how the project
was organized and interviews with the authors.
• The novel is still available on the original site, and is now
available as a complete edition in print, audiobook, and ebook
format from amazon.com, libsyn.com and smashwords.com

17. 2013 Speakeasy by the numbers
• 22 authors / 20 chapters
• 129 copies ordered
• Printed books cost $3.41 + $0.42 shipping
• $3.83 total cost, sold for $5 preorder and $6
at Book Launch
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches

18. Learning and Growing:
Changes we made for Year 2
• Collaborative editing using a wiki
• Layout and design using free templates from createspace to make project
more easily replicated by other authors
• Added an audiobook version
• Added author interviews published with each chapter and also included them
in the printed book (over 40 pages worth) http://tscpl.org/community-novel/speakeasy-author-
interviews
• Posted a link to each new weekly chapter on our Library’s facebook page
• Engaged contributors in marketing at the Kansas Book Festival and Library’s
Author Fair

19. 2013: SpeakEasy: What Worked Well
• Community Premise meeting engaged writers from the start
• Community writers wrote first chapters and collaborated to write
premise after several chapters
• Weekly chapter published online along with audiobook mp3, EPUB,
mobi and PDF downloads
• Returning community novel authors were strong contributors to the
process
• Community members began to take on expanded roles in editing,
audiobook narration
• Authors were interviewed on library podcast and in newspaper

20. Behind the Scenes
Peek behind the curtain
http://tscpl.org/community-novel/behind-the-scenes

21. Advertising and Soliciting Writers

22. 2013 Organizational Meeting

23. Copyright, Preorder and Calendar

24. Online ebook publishing

25. Let your readers be part
of your in-crowd and give
them the behind-the-
scenes details!
• http://tscpl.org/community-novel/speakeasy-author-interviews
I overhead a reader say “I like
reading the Author Interviews
almost more than the chapter!”

26. In SpeakEasy Grad student Ronni Long wants the past to come alive, but her
centenarian source Julia doubts all the adventures of her long life should be
revisited. Aren’t some things better left buried?. It’s a chick-lit mystery with
some history.
Look Inside at amazon

27. Book Signing by the Community Novel Authors

28. Year 3: Exploding the
Pilot Project
Don’t crash and burn!

30. You can’t do it all – we tried!
• In previous years, library staff took on the burden of making this project
succeed and introduced expanded features
• Taking on two projects forced us to focus on the priorities
– What matters most to the readers?
– Are there any tasks that must be done only by library staff?
– Which tasks will help writers learn from this experience?
– Are there certain community participants who will step up?
– How can we streamline the process?

31. Updates for 2014 projects
• Added a juvenile fiction pilot project – 10 authors, new genre, trying to
include illustrations and work more closely with kids interested in
writing, and adults interested in writing for kids
• Recruited new writers from writing programs at the local university and
welcomed writing friends of current authors
• Published weekly chapter and author interview as one document
• Postponed recording audiobook until conclusion of writing
• Trained community members to begin print layout before conclusion of
writing

32. Superimposed
• Many new writers to the project, some returning writers
• Third annual mystery adventure story set in Topeka
– Writers are struggling not to retell last year’s story
• New challenge: require flashbacks on even numbered
chapters and a parallel present day and historical plot
– Addition of continuity notes on the wiki for each chapter
– Introduced plot and continuity editing
– Continued spelling/grammar/punctuation editor

33. Spirits of Oz
• In addition to being written for a younger audience, this pilot
project opens up an opportunity to share creative artwork in a
collaboration
• We can include colorful digital images in online, with black and
white versions needed for print.
• We anticipated a higher response for contributing illustrations
than we have received
– We think this demonstrates that starting with smaller activities to grow
interest in fiction writing at the library help build the trust and
commitment needed for successful collaborative projects
• Plan: establish an “Art Director” for future projects to work
directly within the community of emerging artists. Networking
and soliciting artwork is a new challenge.

34. Spirits of Oz Illustrations

35. Crediting Collaboration
• Everyone gets credit for their contribution to the project

36. Engaging Writers In
Your Community
The Sky is the Limit!

37. What role does the library play?
• Library resources
• Technology resources
• Facilitator and leadership
• Convener of projects
• Host of events
• Publisher

38. Collection development challenges for
self published authors
• Does this automatically mean we include all of these authors’ self
published works in our library? No.
• Community Novel Project can:
– Help increase communication between local author and library selectors
– Help local authors understand library collection development policies and
guidelines
– Help local authors find distribution outlets and make their work accessible to
readers in other ways besides sitting dusty on the library shelves
• Plan: Develop local authors section of our website

39. Local Author Fair and Local Author
Workshop
• What comes next after self-publishing? Additional programming needs were
identified from Community Novel Project and addressed in 2013 and 2014
• Local Author Fair provides opportunity for all local authors to share and sell
their work and build readership, at the library
• Local Author Workshop helps writers sharpen their self-promotion and
marketing skills and learn more about self-publishing options and traditional
strategies for publication. Topics and speakers are selected based on
feedback from community writers.
• Library is creating handouts and web guides with resources on Character
building, Consistent tense, Wandering Point of View, Writing a great Author
Bio and Book Blurb, Definitions for Self Publishing Options

40. Value to the community
• Connects writers within the community in a support system
• Encourages cooperation and collaboration between writers perceived as
“solitary” or “competing”
• Creates a tangible end product that demonstrates talent, creativity and hard
work of community members
• Teaches and reinforces marketable skills in writing, editing, layout, publishing
and marketing that writers can apply to their own projects
• Creates a reasonable, attainable goal for writers that helps them move on to
their next big goal
• Reframes the library’s role between readers to books as facilitators of
creation and connection rather than just providers of things

41. 2015: Looking ahead
• How do we focus the premise in a new direction and facilitate quality ideas that
everyone can support?
– Announce a genre, source premise ideas from writers and readers
• How do we raise the bar for our writers and increase community involvement in future
projects?
• We involved over 30 writers in 2014 in two projects. How do we refocus on a single
project without negatively excluding people who want to contribute?
• How can we continue to expand the project without overloading library staff?
• How will we enable community members to take more active roles in project
management and behind the scenes publishing experiences?
• What are the complementary partner programs?
– Self publishing workshops, editing workshops, author fair, etc.

42. Pilot Your Own
Project
You can fly! You can fly! You can fly!

43. You can do this in your community!
• Leverage you local writers groups
• Try it as a fundraiser
• High school or college classroom project
• Feature local celebrity writers
• Develop your services and resources for writers

44. Why will writers trust you?
• “It’s hard to bleed your creativity on this kind of project just to watch other
people mess it up.” – Lissa, January 2012, before the first chapter of the first
novel was ever written
• Our library offered National Novel Writing Month events since 2004 – learn
more about Come Write In for libraries at nanowrimo.org
• This project fits alongside the traditional library approach of supporting local
authors by promoting their work. Individual local author readings and book
signings had been offered for years but were not successful based on
attendance. We were hosting them, not engaging them.
• We see Community Novel Project as a natural progression from encouraging
readers, to encouraging writing fiction, to then supporting the writer’s efforts
to take the next steps toward editing and publication.

45. Start with what is most important to
your community
• Serialized novel
– Promotes each individual author’s contribution
– Advertises the project over time
– Allows excitement and readership to build
– Increase community interaction between authors and readers
• Printed book
– Author signing
– Souvenirs for friends and family
– Something on the library shelf makes you an author
– Modeling self-publishing options for community writers
• Ebook
– Portable, affordable, available widely
– Ease of distribution
• Audiobook
• Illustrations
• Social Media
• Marketing Interviews

46. Things to think about for your library
• Where does it fit into your library? Whose work is this?
• Where does it fit in your community? Where are the groups of writers that you
want to engage?
• How will you find interested writers?
• How much staff time does this really take?
• What technology and budget needs will you have?
• How hard is it to get people you don’t know well to meet creative writing
deadlines?
• How will you guarantee that the writers are contributing quality work that
reflects well on your community and the other writers?

47. Lissa Staley
estaley@tscpl.org
Miranda Ericsson
mericsson@tscpl.org
tscpl.org/novel
Idea Sharing and
Questions