Help

Free Press is looking for writing of all kinds - any style, genre or subject matter, experimental or traditional, unpublished or previously published. Here's a list of ideas.

One thing to keep in mind, though: the writing should be yours. You can't apply Creative Commons licenses if you don't hold the copyright to a work. Anything you've written you automatically have the copyright to, unless you've given or sold the copyright to someone else (or you wrote it for an employer - more info).

Can my writing be in any language?

Free Press will do its best to handle texts in any language. Of course this presents some obvious difficulties! You may be asked to help the artist work with your text, or review the results before printing.

What about pictures and illustrations? Or unusual formatting?

Unfortunately Free Press won't be able to handle any images (photos, illustrations, diagrams) or any complex formatting of your text. Each text will require a considerable amount of "digital handicrafting" to make it ready for the publication process. The time frame of the project just doesn't allow for any extra challenges.

How do I add my writing?

NOTE: We'll have a separate procedure for single word contributions - check back soon.

1) sign up if you haven't already

2) Take some time to read about the licenses that Free Press uses. Decide which license is right for you.

4) Make sure your writing is in the right format - Free Press can accept your writing as an rtf file (best), text file, or word document (.rtf, .txt, .doc). It would be helpful to give your file an informative name which includes your name and the title of the writing (in the style: myname_mytitle.rtf).

5) Log in and add some information to your writer profile (this is what will appear publicly on your writer page).

6) Use the "add a text" link to add each of your texts - fill out the form completely. There is a space to send a note about your text to Free Press.

7) Email the file to Free Press. If your file is too large to email, try Dropsend (free registration required). If you're having trouble email Free Press.

What about shorter texts? What about single words?

If your writing isn't the length of a whole book, you'll have a couple of options. You can allow Free Press to combine it with other texts to make a larger book, or you can keep it separate. If it's kept separate, your shorter texts will be published as pamphlets, or if they are just a page or so, as broadsheets (posters).

If you'd like to contribute a single word, your word will be added to the every growing list that is "Free Words" and published in one volume. Single word contributions will have their own form on this site - check back in a little while for the update.

What file formats can I use?

Please send your text in either rich text format (.rtf), text format (.txt), or as a word document (.doc). The best of these is rtf, which has wide compatibility, a small file size, and won't tempt you into fancy formatting (that will likely not be reproduced in your Free Press book).

How do I send my text?

Simply email the file to Free Press. If your file is too large to email easily, try Dropsend (free registration required). If you're having trouble contact Free Press.

How do you make my book?

First, your text is turned into a pdf file (think of it as a kind of 'digital handicrafting'). That file is sent to an online print-on-demand book printer (lulu) who prints the physical book. Afterwards, your book will be sent to the Free Press library, and then you (or anyone else) can either download the pdf or order a copy at cost from the printer.

How long will it take to make my book?

This will depend in part on how many participants there are and when everyone sends in their texts. Allow at least 2-3 weeks for the publishing process. You can speed things up by sending in your text asap, keeping the formatting clean and simple, and filling out the forms completely. If you'd like to have your book at the gallery for the opening (September 16), send it right now!

Will I get a copy?

I'll happily send a copy to anyone who contributes a book length text. If your text is shorter than that, you can always order a copy of the book at cost from the printer (that's exactly what I'm doing too). You can get extra copies that way as well.

Licenses

Why do you use Creative Commons licenses?

Creative Commons licenses are a way for you to give legal permission for your work to be shared. Free Press needs this permission in order to make your work available through the project (in the Free Press library, and online). All of the standard Creative Commons licenses allow noncommercial copying, downloading and sharing, which are the basic permissions needed for the Free Press project. Lots more info here.

What should I think about before licensing my work?

Creative Commons has a great page on this topic here. IMPORTANT: Creative Commons licenses are not revocable, so please do learn about them before you use one!

If I add my work to the library, can I still do other things with it?

Of course! Your work is your own, and you can do whatever you like with it (publish it elsewhere, put it on a website, license it under a different license, sell it, etc.).

Where can I find out more about these issues?

Check our license page for basic information and lots of resources. You can find out more about the larger issues and questions through our Links to Free Culture page.

Can you help me with legal and licensing questions?

Sorry, we can't. Here's our disclaimer: Opsound is not a law firm, and cannot offer legal advice. All of this information is provided without any warranty as to its suitablity or accuracy. It is strongly suggested that you review all licenses and legal agreements with your own lawyer.

The Free Press Project

How long is the show, and what happens afterwards?

Free Press will be at Röda Sten from September 16 to October 15, 2006. You can contribute texts throughout the run of the show, but if you want them to appear as books in the gallery, please allow 2-3 weeks for publishing/printing. After the show, the Free Press site will remain, and people will be able to download books and order print copies online at cost from the book printer.

Where does the money come from to do this? Are you making money from it?

Free Press is a gift economy project. The expenses of having the show at Röda Sten have been covered by the gallery (thank you, Röda Sten!). The cost of printing books has been donated by the artist, along with labor, web space, etc. The book printer (lulu) is not affiliated with the artist or the project in any way - they will be paid for their services but no royalties are taken. All the contributors are offering their texts for free. So the short answer is: No one is making any money!

Why are you doing this?

Free Press is part of a series of projects by the artist exploring the effects of gifts and gift economies in the making of new social architectures. You can read essays by the artist, and learn about her other projects here.

Gifts make interesting things happen.

Help

Who can I contact if I have questions or problems?

Email Free Press. There's no staff, just the artist, so your patience and good humor are much appreciated!