Writing solicitation etiquitte?

[TriskeleGames]

Hi, everyone. New to the boards, currently just browsing the site, checking things out. I do have one question regarding the use of the forum as a resource for finding writers.

I'm about to release a miniatures wargame titled Ætherverse. It's a sci-fi game set in a future where parallel universes are discovered along with the ability to travel between them. As such, the setting is filled with alternate histories, and future books will be going into great detail regarding the pasts of various worlds. While the small bit of writing I've done for it has been decidedly in the "what would be cool" vein rather than trying to come up with plausible histories, in these future books I would like to be able to provide a somewhat clearer and more reasonable history.

"Fun" and "cool" will still be the primary motivator, since the game is really an excuse to do things like "Romans in space", but having a more solid background for a world helps make those fun and cool ideas more fleshed out.

Since I'm primarily a rules writer/designer and pretty bad at writing background material, much of this will be contracted to freelance writers. Because the subject matter for several books will be set around past societies that somehow survived to the space age or around future versions of current societies that evolved differently, I'll definitely want to get writers that have experience researching and writing alternate history stories and timelines.

My question for the community and the mods: is there any established etiquitte for making "recruitment" posts? Are open submission calls okay in specific sections of the forums, or should I simply lurk and email specific members? Are there any tags I should add to thread titles like [Job]?

Thanks in advance for your help!
-JAL

[Diamond]

The person who could definitely tell you the correct etiquette for AH.net is Ian Montgomerie, the site owner and moderator.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with lurking and then PMing board members who you want to recruit. ...Any chance of picking up my Second Carthaginian Empire for your RPG?... :D

And you can always just start a thread in the Chat forum.

[DominusNovus]

I've got plenty of good ideas, and plenty more great ideas, if there's money involved. :cool:

[TriskeleGames]

Diamond: Yeah, that's what I figure will end up being the plan. I'll probably also occasionally do a "how could this future come about" post here and there to get an idea of where I can go with new books.

I hadn't thought too much about Carthage, but it would probably be really cool to have the future-Rome universe make contact with a future-Carthage. I'm sure much hilarity would ensue. I'll search the forums for it. :>

Dominus: payment will definitely be involved. :D

(Quick note: Ætherverse is a miniatures game, rather than RPG. Think "Warhammer" instead of "Dungeons and Dragons". Minor distinction.)

[GBW]

I'd be interested also. I've done a Greater Mongolia timeline that has a good many views, though it might not be exotic enough for your Ætherverse. I am interested in several points in history and I could take a stab at a "how could this future come about" type of scenario.

[DominusNovus]

I hadn't thought too much about Carthage, but it would probably be really cool to have the future-Rome universe make contact with a future-Carthage. I'm sure much hilarity would ensue. I'll search the forums for it. :>

Ironically enough, his Carthaginian TL is actually a Roman TL, they just call themselves Carthaginians (lord knows why, we haven't been able to get a good answer from him). I'm sure we could get a Carthaginian TL going, I know we've tried often enough, but for lack of interest.

[Norman]

My question for the community and the mods: is there any established etiquitte for making "recruitment" posts? Are open submission calls okay in specific sections of the forums, or should I simply lurk and email specific members? Are there any tags I should add to thread titles like [Job]?

Thanks in advance for your help!
-JAL

I suggest that the best way would be as follows:

1. contact whoever you want through the private messaging system
2. find the ones you want.
3. feed the writers you chose crumbs and bones
4. make certain you clean their cages
5. send something blond over to rub their tummies once a month

[Landshark]

Did someone mention money around here? I'm sure I sensed someone using the word "payment".

[DocOrlando]

I think you've already made the smartest move by posting this question in here and letting those who notice and wander in make their interest known rather than posting a general call to action, whereupon any Tom, Dick or Straha might suddenly develop a hitherto unknown ability to write.

I offer one bit of advice: solicit writers, not just AH fans. A good writer can write well on just about any topic. Just because someone is a fan of a particular genre, it doesn't immediately bestow on him (or her) the ability to write well in that genre.

[Grey Wolf]

Well, I could offer my services but I could not guarantee that when the time came to it my real life confusions wouldn't have me ducking out on it. It would really depend on what is wanted, how much detail and what the balance of history to space-faring present is. I would be likely to end up with space-faring Tsarist Russians, I can warn you of that !

Grey Wolf

[TriskeleGames]

I think you've already made the smartest move by posting this question in here...

Yep, certainly seems that way. :) Plenty of activity!

I offer one bit of advice: solicit writers, not just AH fans. A good writer can write well on just about any topic. Just because someone is a fan of a particular genre, it doesn't immediately bestow on him (or her) the ability to write well in that genre.

That's definitely the primary plan: I'm not going to hire someone for a piece just because they like the period: I'll need writing samples (even if it's just a good thread). However, there will be some instances where all I'll need is a timeline or some scenarios that can be developed later... in these cases I can have someone do up a few PODs and a couple millenia of general timeline work that can go onto a "Time Line" page, without needing to go into much writing detail. I can then have a writing specialist flesh out specific, interesting points.

One question I do have that might be a bit touchy:
There are going to be instances where I'll just need ideas, or specific what-ifs expanded. In these cases it'll obviously be best if I just make a thread about that idea and let people discuss it. As long as I specify "I reserve the right to take these ideas and use them" ahead of time I'm legally okay, but I don't know if that's something generally accepted around here.

It's a situation where I won't be taking specific writing, but would be more of me asking "so, what sort of history would allow the Incas to get into space first?" or something similarly esoteric. Basically, group brainstorming. I'll shy away from those sorts of threads, though, if people are uncomfortable helping out a for-profit "company" like that. :)

Thanks for everyone's posts so far. I'll be sure to let folks know when I'm beginning to look for writing submissions and such.

-JAL

[TriskeleGames]

Oh, and in case anyone's interested, the current plan for the first expansion books is (in order):

1. Future Rome (includes adversaries, so a place for a future-Carthage to appear)
2. Future Egypt
3. Corporations and Traders (not alt-hist)
4. The Alien Book (not alt-hist in a strict sense, Earths with aliens or other non-humans in charge)

After that, the one book I'm definitely planning is a compilation of Alt-Earths on which various European nations remained "in charge" or kept empires strong into the future. One example is a British Empire that still keeps to many Victorian-era traditions (lots of "tea drinking" stereotypes). That'll probably be a book for the Tsarist Russia to appear in, Grey Wolf. :) )