books, helpers and how you can help:

[Darcy]

Going to start this out, and people can reply below to say what they want to do to assist, and I will then edit this and add them to the appropriate section.

 

Oshigatas

 

Ron Bonanno pretty much wrapped this up with a lot of hard work.

 

Clubs Preordering / Bulk Ordering

 

Clubs will get a small discount that Lulu passes through on a bulk order. I think this kicks in over 20 copies. It may start round 5% and then tick up a bit. It's not huge but better than paying full price. The club is entitled to do whatever they want, give to the members at a discount, bring to shows, sell them on ebay. Price undercut me or overcut me doesn't matter. So if you can convince your club to preorder, or even order the existing book, that's great. You need to contact me to do a bulk order of any type as I have to enter that into the system I think and pay out of my pocket.

 

So if you can get a club signed on, that is very beneficial. Bulk orders should be 25 copies (which will be a 5% discount) or 50 copies (10% discount).

 

Hall of Fame

 

Three ways into the Hall of Fame and what you get out of it. Hall of Fame is going to be the mention page of contributors without whom this couldn't have made publication. Ron Bonanno is first on the list because he did so many oshigatas it's head exploding. Translators, proof readers, essay contributors, are all hall of famers. Let me know if you would be one.

 

Translators: if you can do three Juyo pages, you get one free book, and two others at 40% off if you should so wish them (can give away, or ebay them). The book will be priced at $69 I think, so three of them is about $240 in value. I could use 3 people in this department, maybe more.

 

Proof readers: your bonus prize is that you get a PDF copy of the book, that you can use on your computer, both the works in progress and the final version. You can copy *for your own use* if the PDF gets out, sales go to zero and the entire thing is shot so you hold the power to ruin the project. Be nice and keep your PDF for your own use, you will have a searchable index and all that jazz so you have a special version.

 

Essay contributors: obviously you see your name in lights and get to tell the world what you think, but you will get a free copy as well, as well as two further discounted copies like the translators if you so wish. You may resell them, give them away, whatever.

 

Image editors: if anyone is a pro in this field and can help streamline the workflow, that gets you a free copy plus two discounted copies as well. I would only need one or two, and I have one volunteer so far.

 

Patrons

 

If someone wants to pre-order a special copy, I will make a special cover, along side a note to the patrons. Patrons can be listed at their discretion in the front matter of the book in the thanks. The Patron copy will be priced at $100. In general this would be the way to pre-order in order to support things. Simply pre-ordering is actually going to cause me an accounting headache as I'd have to gather and earmark the funds, and then when time comes to print at Lulu I will have to manually enter all of the orders and get them shipped out, and use my CC info for it all. This would make the system a bit less efficient so rather than get a bunch of pre-orders which cause me to lose time, it would be better to get a few that are beneficial in terms of the bottom line.

 

If anyone chooses to do this, email me, and I can run through the details.

 

It will all definitely put my neck further into the noose.

 

Providers

 

I've decided that the Soshu book cannot be done with at least two of the four of the core Soshu smiths. I know there are several out there of each one. The Truman museum curator has given me initial permission to photograph their Masamune, but it is about an $1,800 expenditure to get me down there with equipment, photograph it, and get back. The one on the west coast I am 10,000% sure won't be made available to photograph. If anyone knows him and knows who I am talking about and feels they can ask, please ask. Others that may be in North America, I don't know of.

 

I don't know of any Sadamune, other than that I had one that Tanobe sensei thought was a Sadamune and I have a decent photo of that.

 

Akihiro I continually hear rave stories of the one in the New York area. It has never surfaced in New York. If anyone knows the owner and can convince him to make it available, I would love to shoot it. I am close enough to New York to drive down. I saw one on display in San Francisco as well. There are probably more.

 

Hiromitsu: there is that one important blade that was found in the San Fran area, and I think the owner is now deceased. It would be very important to record in something like this. I don't know who has it or where it is or if it would be made available. If you know and can ask, please do.

 

Those four smiths would allow the book to complete.

 

Otherwise there are 7 Norishige, 3 Go, 7 Shizu, 5 or so Yukimitsu, 2 Hasebe, 2 Shintogo, and numerous other descendants of the Soshu smiths. Sa school is represented, Kamakura Ichimonji is... lots of good stuff, just the missing core.

 

*SO* without getting the core dealt with, all of the effort will pivot to the Yamashiro book which is nicely represented throughout the koto period. That's the call right now, which means starting back at square one in terms of a lot of the photo editing, but the swords brought in were diverse, two Heian period pieces of the Gojo school, right on through.

 

So post here if you can volunteer and help in any area, and I will add your names up. Would be nice to get the second book, Soshu or not, out in the next half year.

 

If I can get sponsorship of some sort, maybe I should look to the Canada Arts Council, that can justify the trip to the Truman Museum. Any other ideas on how to get some help on that is appreciated.

[John A Stuart]

Hi Darcy, I can help with proofing. Grants were available to writers that could prove prior publication, last year. Three articles in magazines or one book. I think up to $10,000/ Not sure of the exact amount and it was limited to number of applicants. John

[Rich T]

Hi Darc, I can help out as an Image Editor

 

Rich

[Brian]

And of course the Forum will commit to a Patron Special Copy.

 

Brian

[myochin]

Hi Darcy,

 

I can also give a hand at proof reading if necessary.

 

Paul.

[Grey Doffin]

Hi Darcy,

If you need me I can proof.

Grey

[O koumori]

Hi Darcy,

Will help via "patron copy"

Dan K.

[Lee Bray]

Hi Darcy,

 

As per my pm, I've plenty of time to proof read.

[Gilles]

Hello Darcy,

 

All I can do for help is to take a Patron copy. So, count me in.

 

Regards

[bjmoose]

Hi Darcy,

 

Put me down as a Patron and a Proofer. Always glad to help out a fellow Canuck.

 

I sent you an email on Wednesday, so I'm just waiting for the details...

 

Cheers,

 

- ian

[Curgan]

I am in for a patron copy as well.

[shingen]

Hello Darcy,

 

As a beginner I can't really contribute, but appreciate the hard work and would like to contribute the best way I can and in this case it would be to order a patron copy. So you can put me down for a Patron copy as well.

 

Cheers,

Rick

[Markus]

Translators: if you can do three Juyo pages, you get one free book, and two others at 40% off ...

 

Hi Darcy, I can do the translation work. I´m just leaving to attend a sword study meeting

this weekend (how apt;), so I will only be able to reply from Monday on. Greetings.

[Jean]

Hi Darcy,

 

I shall of course take a patron, I can proof read even if French (Believe me I am good at it, being a purist).

 

Now, before preordering, I'd like to know the price of the book to see if can order it in bulk meaning 50. I'll do as for Martin's kantei book, I shall resell it at cost.