Assignment Overview

A call for entries is a document released by a publisher or other entity announcing a new project for which they are soliciting content. There are several characteristics that make a call for entries successful. It must:

• be clear from the outset the goals of the project;
• outline the kinds of materials or texts that are being solicited;
• provide examples of the kind of material that can be solicited;
• explain the kind of material that they are specifically not interested in;
• include a due date
• a way to submit the material
• if necessary, include technical requirements for the size of files, file naming conventions, and so on
• if necessary, a way to pay for submission fees
• a way to contact the publisher

It should not include things like a book title, book size dimensions, price, or whether it is hard- or softcover.

Your groups will be responsible for composing the content for several parts of the call for entries. Composing with Images Press will be responsible for the others.

Assignment Specifics

For your group’s call for entries, I’d like you to use the Toy Camera Photographers for Tots call for entries as a model, and complete the following:

• A title with the phrase “Call for Entries:” followed by what you are looking for. In this section, include:
  • a 2-3 sentence concise paragraph describing what Composing with Images Press is seeking and what it is seeking that material for. State the organization that will benefit from proceeds.
  • a short paragraph detailing who the guest editors are and that they are part of the first group of editors in Composing with Images Press’ new Student Books Series
  • This exact boilerplate content in the last paragraph: Composing with Images Press is a small not-for-profit, all volunteer, independent book publisher founded by Bill Wolff and Billie Hara. CWiP publishes photo and art books that bring together image and text to engage creative, social, and cultural issues within a particular theme. 100% of all proceeds are donated to charity. Our first books were immediate best sellers and raised almost $1000 for BP oil spill cleanup efforts. Play!, a photo book to benefit Toys for Tots will be published in November, 2011.”

• A new section title that includes the theme. In this section, include:
  • A paragraph that describes what material is CWiP is seeking, what it is seeking that material for, and provides many examples of the kind of material, as well as the topics or subject matter that might be covered in the entries.
  • A 1 sentence paragraph detailing who the call is open to. That is, who can submit content.
  • If necessary,  short paragraph detailing what CWiP is not looking for. Be as clear as you can be.

That is all the content you are required to compose. CWiP will take care of the rest. Post your content to your group Tumblr blog and send it to CWiP by 7:00pm Friday, September 30 (this is a new due date).

What Will Happen Next

After you submit your call for entries, CWiP will go through them and make any edits the editors think necessary. They will then post the call for entries on their web site, Twitter, Facebook, and a variety of other locations. This will happen Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. One they release the calls, it is time for you to step into action by doing the following:

• link to the call and the Student Books Series on the CWiP site (people may not have material for your book but could for other books) on Twitter, Facebook, and any other site that you use–link often in fun creative ways
• email family, friends, colleagues, and let them know about the project, ask them to forward it to people they know. Be sure to include the content from the first section of the call, which includes the date (send a reminder email one week later and then a final reminder 2 days prior to the due date)
• like the CWiP Facebook page as well as the charity Facebook page so your friends will see them
• start following your charity on Twitter as well as the people that they are following, and the people who are following them, and over a week start sending them tweets like, “Hey, @username, have you heard about the book I’m editing for @cwipress to benefit @charity. Take a look, RT, and submit! URL to the call.” Those people will have a direct interest that that charity and may know people who will be interested in submitting. Also start going through the charity twitter stream and click on any hashtags that you see that could be relevant and tweet and follow those people, and so on.
  • Before doing all this tweeting, be sure to add your bio that you are editing a book for @cwipress to benefit @charity
  • If your charity doesn’t have a twitter page, start doing similar following and tweeting of related charities and causes
  • Your group may want to coordinate this work so people on Twitter aren’t being deluged with tweets

• Anything else you can think of. The more ways you can get the word out and the more media that the call appears in the more likely we are to get submissions.

Your two weeks between the release of the call and the due date for submissions should be dedicated to getting the word out. Whenever there is a free moment, try to think of something new. And share what you have done with your classmates.

Good luck! I’m hoping we get a great response!