Guest Melissa Jones Discusses Revolutionary Writing/Publishing Website

Melissa Jones as her avatar Mojobot Helendale (yellow robot, back to camera) talks about WEbook.com at Athena Isle Writers meeting July 9, 2008

[2008/07/09 12:07] Alas Zerbino: First of all: Welcome to the kick-off of Athena Isle Writers in our new meeting location! Before we get started, I want to briefly introduce the Story Mountain Center for Writers on Athena Isle.
[2008/07/09 12:08] Alas Zerbino: It’s the brainchild of myself and SL resident Clarissa Tolsen. This is our first “official” event. Alas Zerbino: I invite you to touch one of the Story Mountain signs for a detailed notecard about Story Mountain and our plans for it.
[2008/07/09 12:08] Alas Zerbino: Feel free to talk to me after the meeting if you have questions or suggestions.
[2008/07/09 12:08] Alas Zerbino: Also, for details about our guest speaker, touch the poster hanging over the fireplace.
[2008/07/09 12:08] Alas Zerbino: Now for the “ground rules” for this meeting-- :)
[2008/07/09 12:08] Alas Zerbino: All communication will be in text chat.
[2008/07/09 12:09] Alas Zerbino: I’ll introduce the speaker and turn the “mic” over to her for opening comments.
[2008/07/09 12:09] Alas Zerbino: At any time after that, just jump in with questions. BUT: please type QUESTION (in full caps) in front of your question for our guest.
[2008/07/09 12:09] Alas Zerbino: It’s a lot easier to keep track of which questions still need answering when the chat lines start flying off the window!

[2008/07/09 12:10] Alas Zerbino: We’ve got a truly exciting topic today: what is this revolutionary online publishing/writing venture called WEbook.com (http://www.webook.com)
[2008/07/09 12:10] Alas Zerbino: Melissa Jones, content manager for WEbook, is here to share the excitement.
[2008/07/09 12:10] Alas Zerbino: She also wrote two of the chapters in WEbook.com’s first novel: PANDORA, published earlier this year.
[2008/07/09 12:10] Alas Zerbino: Her Second Life avatar’s name is Mojobot Helendale.
[2008/07/09 12:10] Alas Zerbino: Welcome, Melissa/Mojobot! Tell us about WEbook.
[2008/07/09 12:11] Mojobot Helendale: Hi, everyone! Thanks for coming.
[2008/07/09 12:11] Mojobot Helendale: As Alas said, I work for WEbook.com, a start-up, internet-based publisher.
[2008/07/09 12:11] Mojobot Helendale: WEbook was the brainchild of Itai Kohavi, author and entrepreneur.
[2008/07/09 12:12] Mojobot Helendale: After writing his first novel,
[2008/07/09 12:13] Mojobot Helendale: Itai wondered if there might be a less lonely way for writers to work, and WEbook was born.
[2008/07/09 12:13] Mojobot Helendale: We're trying to combine the best aspects of social networking, digital media, crowd-sourcing, and American-Idol-style talent discovery...
[2008/07/09 12:14] Mojobot Helendale: to both create great content on our site...
[2008/07/09 12:14] Mojobot Helendale: and to select the very best content for publication as real, live paper books. (And some other kinds of books, too.)
[2008/07/09 12:14] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: How did you get involved?
[2008/07/09 12:15] Mojobot Helendale: Pandora was WEbook's first novel -- it was written by 17 authors and 17 other contributors...
[2008/07/09 12:15] Mojobot Helendale: I found out about WEbook through the listserv of Columbia University's MFA writing program...
[2008/07/09 12:15] Mojobot Helendale: They were looking for writers to test out their collaborative writing platform, and I signed on.
[2008/07/09 12:16] Alas Zerbino: and the test obviously worked out!
[2008/07/09 12:16] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: What are the most exciting results you’ve seen so far?
[2008/07/09 12:16] Mojobot Helendale: Yes -- we wrote Pandora in about 6 months, edited it in another 3, and then I got involved with helping the website grow beyond the initial test group
[2008/07/09 12:17] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, alas: We started with a handful of projects started by our staff in April, and we now have literally thousands of writing projects in progress on the site...
[2008/07/09 12:18] Raina Anatra: QUESTION: What was the collaborative process like...so many writers on a fiction project?
[2008/07/09 12:18] Mojobot Helendale: There's a tremendous amount of energy around finding other writers and readers to help improve work.
[2008/07/09 12:18] Alas Zerbino: /good question, Raina
[2008/07/09 12:18] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina: A collaborative novel is really tough...
[2008/07/09 12:18] Mojobot Helendale: and we've since moved more towards non-fiction, anthologies of stories, and stuff like that...
[2008/07/09 12:19] Mojobot Helendale: It took a lot of coordination and patience to keep the whole group of 34 focused on Pandora...
[2008/07/09 12:19] Alas Zerbino: I'll bet!!
[2008/07/09 12:19] Mojobot Helendale: We divided the chapters, and wrote them out of sequence from a synopsis.
[2008/07/09 12:19] Mojobot Helendale: (Please excuse typos.)
[2008/07/09 12:19] Raina Anatra: I can only imagine! I collaborated once on a screenplay with one other person, and even that was difficult.
[2008/07/09 12:20] Elizabethy Bookmite: QUESTION: Is the novel plotted out in advance? By whom?
[2008/07/09 12:20] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Elizabeth: The original idea for the novel came from Itai the company's founder...
[2008/07/09 12:20] Mojobot Helendale: There was a rough synopsis, and we refined it as a group as we went.
[2008/07/09 12:21] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: How did it compare to “writing in isolation”?
[2008/07/09 12:21] Mojobot Helendale: Today on WEbook, a writer can start a project and invite other writers, and it's up to him/her how much they want to plot in advance.
[2008/07/09 12:21] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: A totally different bag, with benefits and drawbacks...
[2008/07/09 12:22] Mojobot Helendale: I was pushed to imagine scenes I would never write on my own...
[2008/07/09 12:22] Mojobot Helendale: And the deadlines were VERY motivating.
[2008/07/09 12:22] Alas Zerbino: I'll bet!
[2008/07/09 12:22] Elizabethy Bookmite: QUESTION: You collaborate in virtual meetings? You say you refined it as a group?
[2008/07/09 12:22] Mojobot Helendale: But you have to develop a lot of ego-control.
[2008/07/09 12:22] Alas Zerbino: lol
[2008/07/09 12:22] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: Why should writers be interested in WEbook? What can it offer them?
[2008/07/09 12:23] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Elizabeth: There was a lot of back-and-forth in chats and forums.
[2008/07/09 12:23] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: WEbook is a great way to get published without going through the traditional publishing "machine."
[2008/07/09 12:23] Mojobot Helendale: Our publishing decisions are based on community voting.
[2008/07/09 12:24]Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: Some people have said that picking a book to publish via popular vote will end up “dumbing down” the writing. What do you think about that?
[2008/07/09 12:24] Mojobot Helendale: So it's a wonderful way for relatively unknown writers to build up an audience and leverage that into publication.
[2008/07/09 12:24] Alas Zerbino: a writer's dream!
[2008/07/09 12:24] Elizabethy Bookmite: QUESTION: Does every contributing writer get a byline?
[2008/07/09 12:25] Raina Anatra: QUESTION: How does the community work? How do they see the works?
[2008/07/09 12:25] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: Two things: 1. WEbook doesn't totally abdicate its role as editor and publisher.
[2008/07/09 12:25]Alas Zerbino: ahhhh..... good
[2008/07/09 12:25] Mojobot Helendale: We are committed to quality work, and we think community votes help us find that work.
[2008/07/09 12:25] Alas Zerbino: makes sense!
[2008/07/09 12:25] Mojobot Helendale: 2. We've seen that writers are pretty good at spotting good writing!
[2008/07/09 12:26] Alas Zerbino: :)
[2008/07/09 12:26] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Elizabeth: A byline and royalties.
[2008/07/09 12:27] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina: All the projects are displayed on WEbook's homepage. Users find projects they're interested in, and they can read, review, and, in some cases, contribute written submissions.
[2008/07/09 12:27] Mojobot Helendale: You can either get involved with a project in progress, or start your own.
[2008/07/09 12:27] Alas Zerbino: /the website is quite amazing: http://www.webook.com
[2008/07/09 12:28] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: How many books does WEbook plan to publish this year? What genres?
[2008/07/09 12:28] Raina Anatra: I can't wait to look around! Do you often get writers who want to work together coming to your site?
[2008/07/09 12:28] Mojobot Helendale: The big thing we're working on now is better sorting and personalization -- since we have thousands of projects, we're working on ways to make it easier to find the RIGHT projects.
[2008/07/09 12:29] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: We expect to publish 6-12 books, in a variety of genres.
[2008/07/09 12:29] Alas Zerbino: super!
[2008/07/09 12:29]Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: What about the issue of “first publication rights”? If a WEbook author makes her project “public,” is it then “published” in terms of copyright law so that publishers who only buy unpublished manuscripts would not buy the work?
[2008/07/09 12:30] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina: We see a lot of writers who are interested in working together!
[2008/07/09 12:30] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: Nope...
[2008/07/09 12:30] Mojobot Helendale: Publishing a work on the site doesn't affect the author's ability to publish elsewhere...
[2008/07/09 12:31] Elizabethy Bookmite: QUESTION: By published, do you mean printed? or e-books? or just posted?
[2008/07/09 12:31] Mojobot Helendale: Our website is more of a "work space" than a publication portal...
[2008/07/09 12:31] Mojobot Helendale: Once we decide to publish something as a book (and right now we're doing paper books)...
[2008/07/09 12:31] Alas Zerbino: That's terrific, Mojobot. I know some writers who were concerned about that.
[2008/07/09 12:31] Mojobot Helendale: We offer writers a publishing contract...
[2008/07/09 12:32] Alas Zerbino: yes!
[2008/07/09 12:32] Mojobot Helendale: Until a contract is signed, the writer retains full control over the work.
[2008/07/09 12:32] Alas Zerbino: just like in "traditional" publishing.
[2008/07/09 12:32] Mojobot Helendale: Exactly, Alas. One of our few similarities with the "big Guys."
[2008/07/09 12:33] Alas Zerbino: lol
[2008/07/09 12:33] Mojobot Helendale: Any other questions?
[2008/07/09 12:34] Alas Zerbino: So, to follow up on Elizabethy's question, having something published involves a contract and distribution....
[2008/07/09 12:34] Raina Anatra: QUESTION: For those projects that you don't end up publishing, do you know what kind of success they've had elsewhere??
[2008/07/09 12:34] Alas Zerbino: while work in progress is not considered published because only members can see it, and only if the writer wants them to?
[2008/07/09 12:35] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina. We're really too young to know that. We've only been open to the public since April. And we're running our first voting cycle now.
[2008/07/09 12:35] Mojobot Helendale: Alas: That's not quite true...
[2008/07/09 12:35] Raina Anatra: LOL! Makes sense! Unless you can predict the future:)
[2008/07/09 12:36] Mojobot Helendale: Oh, yes it is, if by "members" you mean WEbook writers...
[2008/07/09 12:36] Mojobot Helendale: (I don't think of them as members for some reason.)
[2008/07/09 12:36] Alas Zerbino: that's what I mean -- you have to sign up for an account, right?
[2008/07/09 12:36] Alas Zerbino: (I didn't try to read any projects before signing up, so I don't know...)
[2008/07/09 12:36] Mojobot Helendale: Yes, work on the site is only visible to registered site users, and writers can also choose to make their work private so only they or a handful of invited friends can view it.
[2008/07/09 12:37] Alas Zerbino: "members" doesn't fit at all, does it? *grins sheepishly*
[2008/07/09 12:37] Raina Anatra: QUESTION: Is there a charge to be a member? Can anyone in the world join?
[2008/07/09 12:38] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina: No charge. Anyone over 13 is welcome to join -- under 18 with the permission of a guardian, of course.
[2008/07/09 12:38] Raina Anatra: Free is always good...LOL!

[2008/07/09 12:39] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: You’ve had literary fiction published in some pretty highly respected journals... have you heard any feedback from the “literary elite” about WEbook?
[2008/07/09 12:39] Mojobot Helendale: Can I get a quick show of hands -- how many fiction writers are in the group? Non-fiction? Poetry?
[2008/07/09 12:40] Devorah Corvale: fiction and poetry myself
[2008/07/09 12:40] Elizabethy Bookmite: non-fiction here.
[2008/07/09 12:40] Alas Zerbino: mostly fiction; some poetry; some nonfiction
[2008/07/09 12:40] Raina Anatra: Fiction, screenplays here
[2008/07/09 12:40] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: That's a very interesting question...
[2008/07/09 12:40] Mojobot Helendale: ...The response is mixed, depending on people's openness to change...
[2008/07/09 12:40] Mojobot Helendale: Is that diplomatic enough for you? :-)
[2008/07/09 12:41] Alas Zerbino: LOL
[2008/07/09 12:41] Alas Zerbino: I get it! Not surprised!!
[2008/07/09 12:41] Elizabethy Bookmite: lol
[2008/07/09 12:41] Alas Zerbino: change is always change..... :)
[2008/07/09 12:41] Mojobot Helendale: Some established writers and publishers seem to feel that giving more power the "the people" is a bad thing...
[2008/07/09 12:42] Mojobot Helendale: Others find it really exciting.
[2008/07/09 12:42] Mojobot Helendale: Personally, I think there's enough room in the literary landscape for us all.
[2008/07/09 12:42] Alas Zerbino: Yes, I support that notion wholeheartedly!
[2008/07/09 12:42] Elizabethy Bookmite: hear, hear!
[2008/07/09 12:42] Raina Anatra: It feels to me like opening new alternatives like your site only expands the landscape...kind of like Second Life!
[2008/07/09 12:43] Devorah Corvale: yes, too much is controlled by the big publishers
[2008/07/09 12:43] Alas Zerbino: yes, Raina -- just what I was thinking
[2008/07/09 12:43] Mojobot Helendale: Good analogy, Raina!
[2008/07/09 12:43] Alas Zerbino: The fact that it was started by a writer gives it a lot of credibility, too
[2008/07/09 12:43] Raina Anatra: It still frustrates me no end that anything done online is still seen like the step-child of "real" publishing, but I've seen some of the most amazing works online...
[2008/07/09 12:44] Mojobot Helendale: Raina, I think that impression will change A LOT with time.
[2008/07/09 12:44] Raina Anatra: Woo-hoo!
[2008/07/09 12:44] Mojobot Helendale: It's already changed so much in the past few years...
[2008/07/09 12:44] Mojobot Helendale: There are lots of online journals that are considered perfectly "respectable" places to publish nowadays.
[2008/07/09 12:45] Elizabethy Bookmite: good point
[2008/07/09 12:45] Mojobot Helendale: And online journalism is replacing print journalism as we speak!
[2008/07/09 12:45] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: Do you think this will take off, with other publishing companies going this route?
[2008/07/09 12:45] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER Alas: I do think publishing companies are in need of a shake up...
[2008/07/09 12:46] Alas Zerbino: LOL
[2008/07/09 12:46] Mojobot Helendale: ...and I can definitely imagine a world where publishers use models more like WEbook to help guide their publishing decisions.
[2008/07/09 12:46] Devorah Corvale: is there any other company like yours on the market?
[2008/07/09 12:47] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Devorah: Not exactly, as far as I know...
[2008/07/09 12:47] Mojobot Helendale: There are other places to write online...
[2008/07/09 12:48] Mojobot Helendale: and there are a few paper publishers that have a community-based online submission process...
[2008/07/09 12:48] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: You talked about the voting cycle. How does that work?
[2008/07/09 12:48] Devorah Corvale: thank you for your time today. I must leave. Work calls!
[2008/07/09 12:48] Raina Anatra: Bye Devorah!
[2008/07/09 12:48] Mojobot Helendale: But I haven't seen anyone else doing quite what we do.
[2008/07/09 12:48] Mojobot Helendale: Bye, Devorah!
[2008/07/09 12:49] Alas Zerbino: Thanks, Devorah. The transcript will be up on the Athena Isle Writers Blog later this week...
[2008/07/09 12:49] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: When a project leader decides a book is finished he or she can submit it for voting and publication...
[2008/07/09 12:49] Mojobot Helendale: We're accepting submissions of book-length manuscripts now through July 17...
[2008/07/09 12:50] Raina Anatra: QUESTION: How many cycles will you have during a year?
[2008/07/09 12:50] Mojobot Helendale: Starting July 18, WEbookers will vote on the projects in contention...
[2008/07/09 12:50] Mojobot Helendale: WEbook will review the highest-voted submissions and choose our published books from that pool.
[2008/07/09 12:50] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Raina. For the first year, we anticipate running about 4 voting cycles.
[2008/07/09 12:51] Mojobot Helendale: We may end up doing more as the site grows.
[2008/07/09 12:51] Alas Zerbino: One thing I really liked about WEbook is that it was started by WRITERS, not programmers who had a nifty idea. So the initial group of very talented writers kind of set a standard, I think.
[2008/07/09 12:51] Raina Anatra: That appeals to me too...
[2008/07/09 12:52] Mojobot Helendale: That's a good point. Our "test group"-- the people who wrote Pandora -- are all very serious writers, and our feedback really guided the development of the company from its infancy.
[2008/07/09 12:53] Mojobot Helendale: a lot of those writers have stuck around and form a core of great readers, reviewers, and writers on the site today!
[2008/07/09 12:53] Alas Zerbino: I was impressed by that, Mojobot.
[2008/07/09 12:54] Alas Zerbino: QUESTION: You also write the blog for WEbook -- how do you like doing that?
[2008/07/09 12:54] Mojobot Helendale: ANSWER, Alas: I'm so glad you asked...



[2008/07/09 12:54] Mojobot Helendale: The blog is hands down my favorite part of the job. I love it. (I'm a writer – of course I love it.)
[2008/07/09 12:54] Alas Zerbino: lol -- of course!
[2008/07/09 12:55] Alas Zerbino: WEbook’s blog (http://www.blog.webook.com)
[2008/07/09 12:55] Mojobot Helendale: Speaking of the blog...
[2008/07/09 12:55] Raina Anatra: Thanks, Alas, I'm going to check that out, too.
[2008/07/09 12:55] Alas Zerbino: I enjoyed reading it -- and that usually means the author enjoys writing it
[2008/07/09 12:55] Mojobot Helendale: I have a regular feature called WEbook Writing Wisdom...
[2008/07/09 12:56] Mojobot Helendale: and I'm always looking for guest submissions...
[2008/07/09 12:56] Mojobot Helendale: You can check out the blog to familiarize yourself with the kinds of tips I like...
[2008/07/09 12:56] Alas Zerbino: That's good to know -- there are a lot of writers in SL.
[2008/07/09 12:56] Mojobot Helendale: and e-mail me at melissa@webook.com if you have good ideas.
[2008/07/09 12:56] Elizabethy Bookmite: You'll probably hear from me at some point, then :)
[2008/07/09 12:56] Mojobot Helendale: Fantastic!
[2008/07/09 12:57] Alas Zerbino: By the way, everyone, Elizabethy is our guest for next week!
[2008/07/09 12:57] Alas Zerbino: I'm delighted she was able to join us this week, too.
[2008/07/09 12:57] Raina Anatra: Great, it's nice to meet you in advance, Elizabethy!
[2008/07/09 12:57] Elizabethy Bookmite: I hope you all come back and join us then as well!
[2008/07/09 12:57] Alas Zerbino: and what a great segue to a wrap up...

[2008/07/09 12:57] Alas Zerbino: Next Wednesday, July 16, our guest at the Athena Isle Writers meeting will be author Elizabeth Yarnell, who was rejected by a stack of publishers before independently publishing what became her best-selling, award-winning first book: GLORIOUS ONE-POT MEALS. She will talk about how authors can develop strategies to get free publicity and gain the attention of the media and online communities. Check out her blog at http://www.recipesforpublicity.com/
[2008/07/09 12:58] Raina Anatra: Wonderful!
[2008/07/09 12:58] Alas Zerbino: Mojobot, our hour is coming to an end. Is there anything more you'd like to tell us as writers about writing and/or WEbook?
[2008/07/09 12:58] Elizabethy Bookmite: I'm looking forward to it!
[2008/07/09 12:58] JA Thespian: Alas, Thank you for inviting me. I enjoyed this experience
[2008/07/09 12:59] Mojobot Helendale: I'd encourage you all to make a special trip between July 18 and August 1 to vote!
[2008/07/09 12:59] Raina Anatra: Thank you, Mojobot...just hearing about your site has triggered a few juicy ideas in my head!
[2008/07/09 12:59] Alas Zerbino: You're welcome, JA!
[2008/07/09 12:59] Alas Zerbino: Yes, it's extremely exciting!
[2008/07/09 12:59] Elizabethy Bookmite: Thanks, Mojobot! This has been very interesting.
[2008/07/09 13:00] Alas Zerbino: The transcript of this session will be placed on the Athena Iles writers blog later this week: http://slwritersclub.blogspot.com/
[2008/07/09 13:00] Mojobot Helendale: Thanks to all for coming! It was great meeting you.
[2008/07/09 13:00] Liadona Rau: Thank you!
[2008/07/09 13:00] JA Thespian: Nice meeting you all.
[2008/07/09 13:00] Alas Zerbino: Oh, we're so pleased you came -- your information was terrific!
[2008/07/09 13:00] Alas Zerbino: Thank you so much!!
[2008/07/09 13:01] Mojobot Helendale: bye!
[2008/07/09 13:01] Alas Zerbino: and for the writers who were out in the sun today, the transcript will be great.