by Ellen » Mon Feb 04, 2008 9:29 am
I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience compiling an e-book utilizing content (stories,) submitted by others? For example, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" is a book filled with real stories gathered from individuals, then compiled and published in book form.
I have an idea for an e-book which in my mind would be similar to a book of that kind, in the sense that it would contain stories submitted by real people. I'm somewhat stuck though, when it comes down to the actual story gathering process and what to offer in exchange for a story?
Some of my questions are:
~ How to approach the people I'd like to gather a story from, especially if they don't know me from Adam..er, I should say, Eve?
~ What to offer, short of cold-hard-cash, in exchange for their story? (I'm thinking links to their websites would be acceptable but not sure if that would be enticing enough?)
~ How to gather story submissions from those interested? Should I simply use a web form, perhaps with different form fields for entering specific information related to the story outline?
Any thoughts or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated! Also, if you're aware of an e-book that has been compiled using others peoples stories, if possible, please do share a link.
Ellen