Questions for the author or conductor of any kind

[Rick]

I, rick harsch, conceived this project as a sort of lengthy purge to get the worst literature has wrought in my life as a writer out of my system. I love the idea of one of my best works not being 'mine'. I also needed to get some last thoughts about the US out of my system. Reagan had to be defaced, the protection of Klaus Barbie and his ilk had to be illuminated, there was one great joke to be told, and Guiseppe Pinelli deserves more than just one great play.

[Basho]

It is an interesting concept for a novel. Could it end up being a little to free form? I guess that is what editing is for? These themes that you have outlined will guide the writing and move the novel in a direction? I love the idea of a collaborative novel, it is ambitious. Blending different writing styles together might not be an issue since you make it clear there are many authors. Could read like short stories on similar themes? You have me curious.

[Rick]

The flimsy spine of the narrative is me and my fiction stand-in, who I disinter in the beginning. We are talking back and forth throughout the novel. There is no attempt to make it stylistically cohesive as I will probably have written 80% or so by the end. But, for instance, there is a character named agent Mike who tends to get lost and a friend on Tenerife, Bori Praper, who has a book due in Fall from River Boat that's very funny and smart, too, is on a mission from me to find this agent Mike. so he is contributing short bits in his own style. I'm still looking for someone to play Klaus Barbie consoling a young US guy in Germany who found him, told his US boss, and was told to shut the fuck up. I imagine him crushed, going back into his office, Barbie coming in with a way of the world darkly funny pep talk...

[Mike E.]

Have you considered Kickstarter as a means of promotion and distribution for this?

[Rick]

Hi Mike. No, I haven't considered anything like that at all. First, Maintentenance Ends ran a successful gofundme for Voices After Evelyn. Then River Boat Books ran an absurdly incompetent gofuckme for this year's titles. I was already uncomfortable with it being no the heels of the ME drive.
I think the nature of this project is such that word will get out, and if I have any luck at all with other books in the meantime, this will become known and desired.
The real question is how, if it gets a contract, if it sells, how I distribute the money. At this second I think the best idea is I take 50% of the author money and 50% would go to a committee for writers run by people who contributed to the novel. That money would be used to support writers based on need and whatever else the committee would determine.
What do you think of that? I just thought it up now.